The Trenton Times published the following article on October 10, 2013. To read the full article, click here.
Trenton police officer assaulted during traffic stop
By Alex Zdan/The Times
on October 10, 2013 at 9:15 PM, updated October 10, 2013 at 9:21 PMTRENTON — A car stop for littering turned into a scuffle between a passenger and a city police officer Wednesday after a confrontation about showing ID, police said today.
Anthony Jones, a 29-year-old city resident, briefly wrestled with Officer Noel Santiago before he was taken into custody and charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, Lt. Mark Kieffer said.
Jones was a passenger in a car that Santiago and Officer Michael Palinczar spotted near the intersection of Greenwood Avenue and Monmouth Street shortly after 4:30 p.m.
“And they observed the passengers throwing chicken bones out the passenger side window,” Kieffer said.
The officers pulled the car over to issue motor vehicle summonses for littering. Driver Eric Williams, a 23-year-old Morrisville, Pa., resident, gave his ID to the officers when he was asked, but Jones allegedly refused and said he did not have to show anything.
As Santiago went to write the “highly agitated” Jones a summons for obstruction, he saw Jones lean forward toward a knife that was on the floor of the car. Santiago pulled Jones from the car to arrest him but Jones allegedly resisted.
“He starts wrestling with Noel and starts to bend his finger, try to break his finger,” Kieffer said.
A crowd started to gather, creating what police said was a hazardous condition, but Jones was arrested without incident. He was charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest, obstructing the administration of law, improper behavior, open container of alcohol, throwing debris from a vehicle, several city warrants and one outstanding warrant from Lawrence.
Williams, the driver, received two tickets: one for throwing debris from a vehicle, the other for an open container of alcohol in the vehicle.
Santiago did not require medical attention, but Jones had to be taken to a hospital for treatment of a pre-existing injury.