Suspects go for Hagerstown Police officers' guns in separate incidents

In separate incidents on Thursday, suspects tried to disarm Hagerstown Police officers, according to the police department.

In the first instance, the officer received a gash on the back of his head and was treated and released that night from Meritus Medical Center, said Lt. Rebecca Fetchu, spokeswoman for Hagerstown Police. Sgt. W. Decker, who has worked for the police department for about 15 years, was back at work on Friday.

In the second incident, the officer was not injured, Fetchu said.

"These events underscore the dangers our officers face every day," according to a Hagerstown Police statement on the agency's Facebook page. "We are grateful that no one was seriously injured."

"Both of these situations had the very real possibility of turning deadly," the post states. "We are grateful for our officers who put their lives on the line, never knowing what a call for service can turn into."

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A post on the department's Facebook page states the Thursday night incident began with a call for a suspicious vehicle related to possible drug dealing.

Police were dispatched to the first block of North Locust Street and upon arriving, the suspects ran away, according to the Facebook post.

Master Police Officer Jon Molineaux found a suspect in a dead-end alley, according to the post and charging documents filed in Washington County District Court. Molineaux ordered, at gun point, the approaching suspect to stop. The suspect tried to run again and Molineaux grabbed him to stop him, but the suspect grabbed Molineaux's gun before the officer could put it back in his holster, according to the post and court records.

"The officer had to physically pull his gun out of the suspect's hands," the post states. "He managed to holster his gun and still get the suspect under control by taking him to the ground."

Molineaux has been with the police department for almost 15 years, Fetchu said.

Richard Gean Loudin IV, 22, of Hagerstown was charged with disarming a law officer, obstructing and hindering, and resisting/interfering with arrest, according to online court records.

Loudin had a fanny pack containing more than 700 fentanyl pills, 26 grams of crack cocaine and nearly $4,000 in cash, according to the social media post.

Loudin also faces drug charges, including drug possession with intent to distribute and possession with intent to distribute a drug containing Fentanyl, according to online court records.

Suspect grabs for gun during Thursday morning incident

In the earlier incident on Thursday, Leon Muhammed Lockley, 41, of the first block of East Avenue, was charged with disarming a law officer for allegedly trying to remove Sgt. Decker's firearm, according to charging documents filed in Washington County District Court.

Lockley also was charged with first-degree assault against Decker, reckless endangerment and three counts of second-degree assault for allegedly assaulting three different Hagerstown Police officers on Thursday, court records state.

During the incident, Decker twice deployed a stun gun on Lockley, court records state. Lockley earlier admitted he was on spice or synthetic cannabis, according to court records and Fetchu.

Neither stun gun deployment incapacitated Lockley, but after the second time he curled up in a fetal position, records state. Once Lockley was taken to the hospital to have any stun gun probes removed, "it was found (that) any probes that may have made contact were not in fact intact in any body part," court records state.

District Court Judge Terry A. Myers ordered Lockley held without bond during a hearing Friday afternoon. Myers, noting that Lockley had no prior convictions and has lived in the community quite a while, also said he wants to know what was behind this episode and ordered a competency hearing.

Police responded to the first block of East Avenue around 10:09 a.m. Thursday for what the police department's Facebook post described as a "mental health related call where the officer was assessing the situation."

Decker found Lockley, who had been checked into a recovery center that morning but had shown up back home, court records state.

Decker wrote in charging documents that Lockley pointed at him and told Decker to cuff him and take him to jail, but Decker said he had no reason to and was not there for that. When Decker asked Lockley if he wanted to harm himself, he answered yes but didn't answer Decker as to how he would hurt himself, court records state. At the time they were on the porch and there were other people on the porch who kept "interjecting into our conversation," Decker wrote.

Decker wrote that he had Lockley go in the house with him to get away from the other parties. Decker mentions Lockley had some "sporadic behavior" and he called Lockley back from the kitchen area to the dining room. While speaking, Lockley "gave me no indications he was under any mental duress," Decker wrote.

Fetchu said police have certain criteria that have to be met to have someone taken to the hospital via an emergency petition for a mental-health evaluation. Saying he wanted to harm himself was not enough to warrant such a petition, she said.

Decker observed Lockley for other indicators that would require an emergency petition, but Lockley didn't meet the criteria, she said.

As Decker began talking to Lockley about the dangers of using spice, Lockley "took a furtive look toward my holstered duty weapon and charged me," Decker wrote in charging documents. Lockley allegedly grabbed Decker and took him to the floor, where Lockley grabbed the holstered weapon with his left hand and grabbed at Decker with his right hand, court records state.

Decker wrote that he was able to "pin my duty weapon in the holster and control his left arm with a control hold."

Decker ordered Lockley to stop and let go of the gun, court records state. Once Decker had control of Lockley's arms he called on the radio for more units. Decker also ordered Lockley to let go of the gun while the radio "was keyed up," court records state. Lockley was on top of Decker during this incident, the officer wrote.

Parties from the porch entered the home and screamed at Lockley to stop. Several people started pulling Lockley off Decker, court records state.

Once Lockley was pulled off, Decker sat up to reach his stun gun and Lockley began kicking at him, court records state. "Fearing he would get back to his feet and attack me again I deployed the Taser," Decker wrote. When that didn't have the "desired effect" and Lockley continued moving around, Decker deployed it again.

About 2 seconds after Lockley curled up, other officers arrived and arrested Lockley, court records state. Lockley began to resist as he was escorted out of the home.

Once at the hospital, Lockley became unruly and tried to get off the bed, stating "'BBK' Everybody kills," court records state. He cursed at Officer D. White and while shackled charged at White, trying to kick him, court records state. Lockley kneed White in the leg as White blocked the strike.

Then Lockley charged at three officers and White eventually got Lockley to the floor, court records state. While on the floor, Lockley allegedly tried to grab at Officer J. Mull's gun belt and then grabbed onto White's arm and tried to grab his gun belt, court records state.

Police were able to get Lockley back on his bed, where he continued to struggle and tried to bite Mull, court records state.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Hagerstown men charged with trying to disarm city police