Man faces charges he crashed car in Claymont then punched 2 New Castle County officers
A 29-year-old man whom police tried to stop for running a red light in Wilmington now also faces charges he led law enforcement through northern New Castle County — initially in a car, but when he crashed it, then by foot — and when police caught him, he punched two officers in the face.
The two officers, both from the New Castle County Police Department, did not require medical attention. The man was being held in Howard R. Young Correctional Institution Friday morning after failing to post $18,500 bail.
In recent years, Delaware Online/The News Journal has changed its approach to covering crime and courts and typically does not identify people charged for all but the most serious cases. Delaware Online also does not typically publish press releases on criminal charges unless the crime has a larger impact on the public or involves a public official.
The incident began Wednesday night in Wilmington where police there said city officers saw a Chevrolet Malibu run a red light. Wilmington officers tried to stop the car, but the driver fled.
Wilmington officers chased the Malibu, but the pursuit ended with the driver continuing to flee toward Governor Printz Boulevard, New Castle County police said.
A little before 8:40 p.m., county police were dispatched to the 300 block of Forrest Ave. in Claymont where they found a crashed Chevrolet Malibu that was on fire.
The car was unoccupied, but officers were able to determine it was the vehicle involved in the chase in Wilmington — 5 miles away.
Officers, along with a canine team, checked the surrounding area and found the Malibu driver almost a mile away near the 3700 block of Philadelphia Pike.
Upon seeing the officers, county police said the man ran. Officers chasing the man used a stun gun, but it was ineffective.
While fleeing, police said the man was reaching into his waistband and pockets. Havok, a county police canine, then tried to stop the man, but the man continued running and resisting.
When officers tried to arrest the man, police said, he began punching, striking two officers. With the help of the canine, the man was arrested and taken to a local hospital.
After the man was released from the hospital, he was charged with two felony counts of resisting arrest with force or violence, two misdemeanor counts of offensive touching of law enforcement, five misdemeanor counts of menacing, leaving the scene of a collision, reckless driving and aggressive driving.
Wilmington police have charged the man with disregarding a police officer signal, failure to stop at a stop sign and failure to stop at a red light.
Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Man charged with crashing car in Claymont, punching 2 officers
