A 23-year-old man was peppered sprayed twice and consequently arrested overnight after threatening and spitting at officers.
Police on a DWI patrol stopped a 2006 Chrysler for driving without headlights on the 1300 block of E. St. George Avenue at approximately12:59 a.m. today.
Officers approached the vehicle and smelled the odor of burning marijuana and asked the driver, later identified as Omar Q. Chandler, 23, of Linden, to exit the vehicle. Chandler gave the officer conflicting personal information and could not produce a driver license. Once he was positively identified, he was found to have several outstanding contempt warrants and was placed under arrest.
Once handcuffed, Chandler refused to get in the patrol car and threatened to assault the officer once his handcuffs were removed. He then lunged at the officer and was administered a dose of pepper spray.
After being placed in the back seat of the patrol car, he then kicked and screamed at the officers and spit at them.
After being taken to headquarters, he then broke out of his handcuffs and threatened to use them as a weapon to assault the officers. He was then administered a second dose of pepper spray.
Chandler was charged with resisting arrest, hindering his own apprehension as well as being an unlicensed driver and operating a vehicle without headlights. He also had contempt warrants out of Elizabeth, Cranford, Hillside, Scotch Plains, Union Twp., and Roselle Park.
The Fire Department ambulance responded to headquarters to treat Chandler for chemical exposure.
He was being held in the municipal lockup pending the setting of bail.
A court date has been set for January 6th.