HOLLY HILL, Fla. – A Winter Park man was arrested last week after he was caught attacking a police officer with a metal pipe outside a Winn Dixie store, according to the Holly Hill Police Department.
In a release, police said they received a call on Oct. 6 around 11:32 a.m. about a homeless man who was trespassing, “causing a scene,” and destroying property at a local Winn-Dixie store.
Upon arrival, a responding officer found the suspect — later identified as Charles Crowley — acting “disorderly and erratic,” investigators said.
Charles Anthony Crowley, 39 (Volusia County Jail)
“After refusing multiple orders from (the officer), the subject grabbed a large metal bar from under his shirt and swung it at (him), striking him on the head,” the release reads.
However, the officer was able to bring Crowley to the ground and take the metal bar away, in part thanks to the help of a good samaritan, the HHPD noted.
Both Crowley and the officer were taken to the hospital for minor injuries, and jail records show Crowley was ultimately taken into custody. He now faces charges of resisting arrest with violence; criminal mischief; battery on a first responder; and aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer.
He is held on no bond.
“Officers respond to calls without always knowing what awaits them and face unpredictable situations every day — often making split-second decisions that can change lives in an instant,” the release concludes. “We are thankful that this incident did not end in tragedy.”
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