Baltimore Police Arrest Man For Assaulting Police Officer; Altercation Caught On Tape
BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- Attacked! A Baltimore City police officer was pushed to the ground while making an arrest. That startling attack was caught on camera in East Baltimore. The man who lunged at the officer is behind bars.
Mike Hellgren explains how it all started.
A man in the olive-colored jacket headed toward police as they made an arrest. He lunged at an officer, knocking him to the ground in front of a crowd of people on Monument and Rose streets in East Baltimore. More officers rushed in and got the man under control.
"I can't describe this as anything else than an act of cowardice," said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. "I don't know if there's any clearer example of what the men and women of this agency go through to keep this city safe."
The video has already gotten thousands of hits online.
Gugliemi says it happened New Year's Eve, around 2:30 p.m. He says it started when Manuel Imel banged his car door into a police cruiser. The officer inside got out to confront him, noticing Imel was drunk. Then another man rushed to the scene. That's the man police are trying to arrest on the video. He got in the officer's face, angry he was questioning Imel. While police had their hands full trying to arrest him, Imel left and then came back. Then the confrontation unfolded.
"We live in a day and age now where anyone with a cell phone has a camera and photographic capabilities. We respect that," Guglielmi said.
Imel, who already has a lengthy criminal record, faces several new charges including assaulting law enforcement, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
The man who police originally were trying to arrest fled the scene. They're not identifying him but say there is a warrant out for his arrest.
Imel is being held on $100,000 bond.
