Police officials in Newark are reporting an assault of a uniformed officer by an alleged drug suspect during which the assailant attempted to grab the officer’s gun.
Preliminary reports say the officer was responding to complaints of drug dealing on the 300 block of Schley Street, when the officer spotted a male fitting the description of the complaint.
As the officer attempted to question the male, the officer was physically assaulted by the suspect. During the struggle the suspect tried to grab the officer’s gun.
The officer fought off the attacker and retained possession of his gun and the magazine, which popped out during the struggle. The suspect fled, discarding his shirt which police have taken for evidence.
Police say the car crash was secondary to the incident and had on person injured after a police car collided with a civilian vehicle.
“This officer acted responsibly, even heroically, in quickly responding to a complaint, then fighting off an attacker who tried to grab the officer’s weapon,” Ambrose said. “This could have had a much worse ending for the officer or the suspect.”
At this moment, police are pursuing active leads in the case.