OCEAN CITY — A Philadelphia man was arrested on multiple charges last week after first allegedly assaulting his sister and then battling with police attempting to load him into a transport van.
Around 12:35 a.m. last Wednesday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a motel at 16th Street for a reported assault that had just occurred. Upon arrival, an OCPD officer met with a female victim she had been lying on a bed, drinking alcohol and listening to music with her brother, identified as Joseph Bryant, 34, of Philadelphia, who had assaulted her.
The victim reportedly told police Bryant began yelling about being assaulted as a child and then struck her with a liquor bottle. The victim told police Bryant than grabbed a lamp and struck her with it, and then again with her walker. The victim told officers Bryant then fled the second-floor room and went to hide in a room on the first floor, according to police reports.
OCPD officers located Bryant in a room on the first floor. Bryant was reportedly attempting to sneak out the back of the first-floor room while OCPD officers were knocking on the door. Once outside the room, Bryant reportedly began yelling and several motel guests came out on their balconies to see what the commotion was, according to police reports.
Officers were able to place Bryant under arrest, but he did not go easily. According to police reports, Bryant told the officers they were going to have to carry him to the transport van and let his body go limp and laid on the ground. Officers attempted to pick Bryant up, but he continued to resist, according to police reports.
Officers physically carried Bryant to the transport van and laid him in the vehicle on his back, but he reportedly braced his legs against the middle divider wall and attempted to push himself out of the van.
Bryant was reportedly warned if he did not stop resisting, he would be pepper-sprayed, and that is just what happened next, according to police reports. Bryant still refused to stop fighting with police and was able to use his legs to push himself out of the van and onto the ground again, according to police reports.
Bryant was on the ground when OCPD officers applied violent person restraining devices on his ankles and knees to prevent him from continuing to kick the officers. He was then loaded into the van headfirst and was transported to the Public Safety Building for processing. During the booking process, Bryant reportedly spat on one officer and kicked three others. Bryant was charged with five counts of assault, resisting arrest and failure to obey a lawful order.
