STATE COLLEGE — A 21-year-old man is accused of assaulting and biting employees of Champs in downtown State College and then borough police officers following his arrest on the evening of Saturday, Aug. 24.
According to a police affidavit, the Ferguson Township man was asked by staff to leave the sports bar located at 139 S. Allen St. When the suspect refused to leave, staff attempted to forcibly remove him and he allegedly bit and punched an employee, which left teeth marks and drew blood. The suspect also attempted to punch another employee, police noted in the affidavit.
Employees had the suspect restrained when police officers arrived. Police said the suspect appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, with slurred speech when they tried to speak with him. Officers also noticed remnants of the victim’s injuries on the suspect’s body and clothing.
The suspect was then taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center by ambulance for a medical evaluation where he, according to the affidavit, verbally attacked emergency medical technicians and allegedly tried to fight the officer trying to place him on a stretcher.
After that, according to the affidavit, the suspect allegedly tried to bite four police officers and medical personnel. He successfully bit one officer’s finger, which drew blood, and caused an abrasion to another officer’s arm.
The suspect continuously resisted and was put into restraints and sedated once at the hospital, the affidavit said.
On Sunday, Aug. 25, an officer returned to the hospital around 7 a.m. to serve the suspect an arrest warrant and said he found him attempting to leave the hospital, though he was being watched by hospital security. When the officer told the suspect he was going to be arrested and taken to the Centre County Correctional Facility, the suspect said, “Not going to happen,” according to the affidavit.
Police said that when officers attempted to handcuff the suspect, he allegedly punched one of them in the chest twice while continuing to resist arrest as both police officers and security guards attempted to physically restrain him.
According to the affidavit, an officer then used a Taser and the suspect was successfully apprehended.
Police noted that when they told the suspect to stop resisting, he said “Frankly speaking, no.”
The suspect has been charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault, a felony count of aggravated assault of a designated individual, two misdemeanor counts of simple assault and resisting arrest, one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct and multiple summary counts of harassment and public drunkenness.
He is currently being held in the Centre County Correctional Facility, with bail set at $62,500 for the charges relating to the incident at Champs and another bail set at $35,000 for the incident in the hospital. Preliminary hearings on the charges are scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 4.
