Police: Man With Cane Fights Officers In Dairy Queen, Threatens To Kill Them
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BROWNSVILLE (KDKA) – Police say a man at a Fayette County Dairy Queen attacked police officers with his cane and threatened to kill them Sunday afternoon.
The incident happened around 5:15 p.m. at a Dairy Queen on National Pike East in Brownsville.
A call came in to Fayette County 911 reporting a man causing a disturbance at the Dairy Queen. Police arrived on the scene and found a person fitting that description -- 61-year-old Harry A. James, of Brownsville. When they tried to settle him down, he allegedly attacked the officers with his cane.
"Officers approached the establishment, they entered through a vestibule and Mr. James met them on the other side of the door," Trooper Robert Broadwater said.
James had apparently been in the establishment for several hours. He let the officers in, then started swinging his cane.
He allegedly threatened a Luzerne Township police officer and a Redstone Township police officer, saying, "This is a spiritual war, I am going to kill you guys!"
"At that time, one of the officers opened up the door and tazed him with a taser," Broadwater said. "Mr. James went down on to the floor."
Police say in seconds, James was on the attack, pounding away at officers with his walking stick which apparently was equipped with a heavy metal ball on the end.
"At one point, he was attempting to grab one of the officer's gun belts," Broadwater said. "They used pepper spray on Mr. James ... It did not have any effect on him. He continued to be combative."
A third officer arrived and James was eventually put in cuffs and removed from the Dairy Queen.
"Sometimes when people have it in their mind they're not going to jail or get arrested, they can do strange things," Broadwater said.
James is undergoing psychological evaluation at a nearby hospital. Once he's cleared by doctors, he will be arraigned on multiple charges, including aggravated assault and resisting arrest.
Dairy Queen released a statement saying they were fully cooperating with local police regarding the "isolated incident." They added, "Please know that the safety and well-being of our customers and employees is our top priority."
