Taser Used In Cop Assault
OCEAN CITY — A man was arrested last weekend after allegedly assaulting a woman before scrapping with police attempting to take him into custody.
Around 9:40 p.m. last Sunday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to a reported domestic assault at the municipal lot on Worcester Street. The complainant told police a male was hitting a female in the parking lot. Upon arrival, the officer observed a man, later identified as Thomas Reeder, 20, of no fixed address, holding a purse with a female victim demanding he give it back.
When the officer approached the couple, Reeder told police they were fine and didn’t need any assistance, but the officer told Reeder there had been a call about an assault and that he needed to speak to both of them. Reeder denied assaulting the woman and began to walk away.
The officer ordered Reeder to stop and grabbed him by his tank top, but Reeder took a swing at the officer breaking his grasp. When the officer grabbed Reeder again, he took another swing at him, according to police reports. Another OCPD officer intervened and struggled to gain control of Reeder. Now three officers were trying to detain Reeder and all of them fell on the hood of a vehicle during the struggle.
One officer finally deployed his Taser and sent a drive stun into Reeder’s inner thigh. Reeder was finally subdued, but the struggle continued. During the arrest, he reportedly kicked and flailed at the officers to the point a Violent Prisoner Restraint device was applied to Reeder’s feet to get him to stop kicking officers. He was ultimately charged with multiple counts of assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
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Hit-and-Run Driver Charged
OCEAN CITY — A Bel Air, Md. man was arrested on drunk-driving and leaving the scene charges last week after allegedly running into the back of another vehicle on Coastal Highway before fleeing the scene.
Around 3 p.m. last Tuesday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were dispatched to a reported crash on Coastal Highway near 61st Street. Upon arrival, OCPD officers met with the driver of the vehicle that had allegedly been struck from behind at a traffic signal. The victim told police she was stopped at a red light when a black Nissan Altima approached from behind, failed to stop in time and ran into the back of her vehicle.
The victim said the other passengers got out and met with her where to two vehicles had collided and observed they were still in contact with each other. The passenger tried to claim the vehicles were not touching and attempted to slide his hand between the two bumpers. The victim then approached the driver, Ryan Bull, 28, of Bel Air, who reportedly refused to provide any information.
According to police reports, the victim told Bull if he did not share his information she would have to call the police, but Bull asked her not to. The passenger got back in the vehicle and drove away, but the victim was able to snap a picture with her cell phone recording the license plate number. The OCPD officers observed damage to the victim’s rear bumper consistent with her story.
A description of Bull’s vehicle was broadcasted. After taking the report, the victim left the scene. About an hour later, the victim called police again and reported she had seen the suspected vehicle traveling south past her again on Coastal Highway before parking on 45th Street near the beach.
OCPD officers responded to the area and saw Bull and the passenger walking toward the vehicle before getting into it.
The officers approached the vehicle and determined the hood was still warm to the touch, suggesting it had been recently driven. Another officer told responding officers he was searching for the suspect vehicle and it had not been parked in that location just a short time ago. When asked to provide his license, registration and insurance information, Bull reportedly told police he had not been driving, so he did not have to present the information to police. Instead, he presented a passport.
Meanwhile, the victim and her passenger were brought over and positively identified Bull as the driver during the collision. Bull continued to insist he hadn’t been driving in several hours. He also admitted he was drunk, but that it didn’t matter because he hadn’t been driving anyway.
At that point, Bull was arrested for failing to remain at the scene of a crash. After transporting Bull to the Public Safety Building, he refused to submit to an alcohol concentration test, maintaining he had not been driving. He was charged with leaving the scene and driving under the influence.
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Disorderly Conduct Charge
OCEAN CITY — A North Potomac man was arrested on disorderly conduct and creating a public nuisance charges last week after allegedly sprinting on foot up the bus lane along Coastal Highway and running into people on the sidewalk.
Around 2:10 a.m. last Thursday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer on patrol in the area of 23rd Street observed a man with no shirt and no shoes and socks sprinting north in the bus lane on the southbound side of Philadelphia Avenue. The officer observed as the suspect, Ricky Clark, 21, of North Potomac, entered the sidewalk and continued to walk at a face pace, stumbling as he approached a crowd of people.
The officer observed Clark run into a crowd of people and push two men out of his way as he continued to make his way north on the sidewalk. Clark then got back in the bus lane and continued to sprint north at a high rate of speed, according to police reports. The OCPD officer detained Clark, who appeared to be very intoxicated, according to police reports, at 25th Street and asked him multiple times to sit on the curb.
The officer asked Clark for his identification, but he refused to provide any despite clearly having a wallet in his pocket. At one point, Clark told the officer his name was Chuck. The officer told Clark he would be arrested if he could not provide identification, but he continued to refuse, according to police reports.
OCPD officers attempted to take Clark into custody, but he tensed up and resisted their attempts to handcuff him. At one point, he pulled away, but was pinned to the hood of the patrol car and was eventually taken into custody. Throughout the incident, Clark continued to yell at pedestrians and vehicles passing by. He was ultimately charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
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Major Heroin Bust
BERLIN — A Virginia man was arrested on drug distribution charges last week after a routine traffic stop in Berlin found him in possession of over 1,200 bags of heroin.
Last Tuesday, the Worcester County Criminal Enforcement Team conducted a traffic stop in Berlin. Upon making contact with the driver, identified as Jalil Pierce, 31, of Portsmouth, Va., officers detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed 1,251 individually-wrapped bags of heroin along with a small amount of marijuana.
Pierce was arrested and charged with possession and possession with intent to distribute heroin and importation of heroin. He was transported to the Worcester County Jail where he was held on a $65,000 bond.