El Paso man allegedly attacks, bites off portion of city police officer's finger
An El Paso police officer had a portion of his finger bitten off when a suspect attacked him as he was escorted out of court hearing because the man began arguing with a judge at the downtown county jail, authorities said.
Devorise Antoine Newson, 37, was arrested Tuesday, Feb. 6, and was in the booking process when he was taken by officers to meet with a judge at the El Paso County Jail, 601 E. Overland Ave., El Paso Police Department officials said.
The El Paso man was in custody on suspicion of stalking and violating a protective order, jail records show.
Newson allegedly began arguing with the judge so officers escorted him out of the court hearing. The officers attempted to change the handcuffs on Newson, but he continued to resist their commands, El Paso police officials said in a news release.
As the officers struggled with Newson, he allegedly bit off a portion of one of the officer's fingers. The officer then "utilized force to protect himself from further harm," officials said.
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The officer, who has been with the police department for five years, was taken to a hospital for treatment. The medical staff was unable to reattached the portion of the officer's finger that was bitten off, officials said.
"This incident serves as a reminder of the inherent risks faced by law enforcement officers in the line of duty and potentially volatile situations," officials said.
Newson is now facing an additional charge of aggravated assault on a peace officer. His bond was set at $200,000 on the assault charge, while the original two charges have a bond totaling $40,000, jail records show. He remains jailed as Friday, jail logs show.
Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso man allegedly bites off portion of city police officer's finger
