Pequannock police officers pepper sprayed a man who allegedly threatened them with a baseball bat.
A police officer was called to the home of a Pequannock, NJ man after police received a noise complaint. When he arrived at the scene, the officer allegedly found multiple juveniles yelling from inside the home. According to the officer on the scene, several juveniles with multiple containers of alcohol were discovered in the backyard.
The officer contacted the 53-year-old homeowner who was inside the home, but police described him as “uncooperative.” According to police, the man insisted that the officer leave his residence immediately.
The officer instructed the juveniles to get their belongings from inside the home and call their parents in order to be picked up. However, police said that as soon as the minors entered the house, the homeowner locked the door and refused to speak with police. This became a serious problem when parents began to arrive but were unable to retrieve their children.
At one point, the suspect opened the door and allegedly held a metal baseball bat over his head. According to police, when the suspect attempted to close the door again, officers took quick action to enter the home and pepper spray the suspect before subduing him.
After the suspect was arrested, he was transported to Chilton Medical Center for treatment of what was described by police as a minor laceration on his head.
The suspect was later charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault on a police officer, unlawful possession of a weapon, resisting arrest, obstruction of justice, and providing a property for underage drinking.
If the suspect is convicted of aggravated assault on a police officer, he could be sentenced to as many as five years in NJ State Prison. As codified in N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1b(5), simple assault charges may be elevated to felony-level aggravated assault charges when the assault is committed against a police officer.
For more information, see the NJ.com article entitled “Officers Pepper Spray Man Who Threatened Them with Baseball Bat, Police Say.“
