FREDERICKSBURG, VA – Fredericksburg Police officials recently extended accolades to two Good Samaritans who reportedly helped an officer that was being attacked by a suspect earlier in July.
Two bystanders saved a Fredericksburg police officer from a more severe beating early Wednesday by pulling a suspect off an officer who was being assaulted, police said Thursday. https://t.co/zZUyLFluGs
— The Daily Progress (@DailyProgress) July 23, 2021
According to Fredericksburg Police Spokeswoman Sarah Morris, an officer has responded to the Walmart parking lot in Central Park at approximately 6:30 a.m. on July 21st after reports came in about a suspicious male rummaging through someone else’s vehicle.
When the officer encountered the suspicious male, who allegedly had stolen items in his possession, the officer attempted to detain the subject, but the male started to walk away from the officer.
Officials say that the suspect, later identified as 31-year-old Joshua J. Duggins, then turned around and hit the officer.
The officer was then reportedly taken to the ground by the suspect and was punched numerous times in the head. Two individuals had witnessed the attack and were able to get the suspect off of the officer.
According to officials, the unnamed officer has been with the department for two years and was treated at an area hospital for head injuries and released shortly thereafter.
Fredericksburg Police Chief Brian Layton said that had these two Good Samaritans not helped the officer in their time of need, the officer could’ve suffered far more severe injuries:
“If the two individuals watching nearby had not selflessly taken it upon themselves to assist the officer, the injuries he sustained could have been much worse. I can’t thank them enough for bravely putting themselves in danger.”
Duggins, who is currently in custody at the Rappahannock Regional Jail, was charged with assault on a law-enforcement officer and malicious wounding. He was arraigned for his charges on July 22nd and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for August 17th.
In a Facebook post from the Fredericksburg Police Department, it was noted that this incident was the third instance in recent weeks of officers from their department being attacked by suspects:
“This act is the third considerable assault on a Fredericksburg Police Officer in the last 12 weeks. The first assault was on April 24th when an officer attempted to take a person to the hospital, charged the officer, and punched him in the face.
The second assault was on June 11th, when an officer suffered a broken nose after serving a notice for trespassing.”
In other recent news, we at Law Enforcement Today reported on an officer that was attacked in New York City earlier in July by a suspect wielding as glass bottle as a weapon.
Here’s that previous report.
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BROOKLYN, NY – An NYPD officer was the victim of a brutal, unprovoked attack when an ex-con struck him in the head with a glass bottle during the early morning hours of July 18th.
Police say a man was caught on body camera attacking an NYPD officer in Brooklyn and smashing a glass bottle on his head https://t.co/3inWbOfRAo pic.twitter.com/1aubXaOzbm
— WCBS Newsradio 880 (@wcbs880) July 19, 2021
The officer, assigned by the 67th Precinct “to address community concerns,” was suddenly attacked at Church Avenue and East 51st Street around 4:50 a.m.
The officer’s body camera captured the cowardly attack. The man, wearing a tye-dye shirt, walked up to officers and began talking to them. The man suddenly and without warning struck the officer with the bottle.
The officer suffered lacerations to the neck and head. An NYPD tweet stated:
“The officer received lacerations to the neck and head which required stitches and staples, but thankfully will be OK.
“24/7 your NYPD officers put themselves in harm’s way to protect this city, its residents and its visitors.”
The officer, identified in court records as David Goldman, required four staples to close the gash to his head.
Other officers who witnessed the assault assisted the injured officer in giving chase to the suspect. He was captured shortly after the attack.
The man was captured trying to hide under a car, according to court records. As he was being placed into custody, the man shouted:
“Get off me, you f—ing b—-! I’m going to kill you as soon as I can!”
The suspect was identified Monday as Tyshaun Holloway, 27, of Hackensack, New Jersey. He was charged with assault, menacing, resisting arrest, criminal possession of a weapon and obstructing governmental administration, police said.
Holloway, who is originally from Virginia, was arraigned Sunday in Brooklyn Criminal Court before Judge Kim Petersen, who ordered him held on $30,000 cash or bond pending another court appearance Friday, court and jail records show.
Moment man who has TWICE been arrested for attacking NYPD officers smashes a bottle over a cop’s head https://t.co/OK8nUFE6zZ pic.twitter.com/xtMEZ4sFTL
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) July 20, 2021
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea commented that officers face this kind of danger every day protecting the city:
“Another reminder of the grave dangers your cops face every day as they take to the streets to protect the people of NYC.”
Holloway had two previous arrests for assaulting officer in the Bronx in 2016. Public records show he was sentenced to two years after a felony assault conviction in Manhattan in 2017.
According to a report in The New York Post, The DA’s Office said the two felony assaults occurred during a groping incident in the Bronx. He struck an officer in the face while being placed under arrest.
Holloway was then taken to the psychiatric ward at Lincoln Hospital, where he threw a piece of a heart monitor at a different cop who was guarding him and also tried to punch the cop, the DA’s Office said.
According to media reports, he also has prior arrests for two attempted robberies, making terroristic threats, and fare evasion.
In Wisconsin, five suspects were charged in connection with a thrown explosive device that wound up injuring two police officers during the 4th of July weekend.
Here’s that previous report.
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MILWAUKEE, WI –On Saturday, July 5th, two police officers were injured after suspects threw an “explosive device” at them while they were standing on the median monitoring the downtown entertainment district on Water Street around 12:15 a.m, according to reports.
On Monday, July 12th, Milwaukee police announced that five suspects were arrested and charged in the incident.
Police say the five men set off M-80’s, M-1000’s and a two-pound device they described as a pipe bomb. Police said it was a piece of PVC pipe filled with explosive powder, CBS58 reported.
Both officers sustained injuries as a result of the explosion, and a squad car was damaged. Officials say the detonation was so powerful that it deployed the squad car’s airbags.
5 men charged after blast from apparent pipe bomb injured two Milwaukee police officers during July 4 celebrations https://t.co/7FqACqWO4q
— Journal Sentinel (@journalsentinel) July 12, 2021
Milwaukee Police Inspector Paul Formolo said:
“This is not a game, these devices should not be detonated anywhere near a human being, they’re not designed for that,”
Formolo went on to say that the officers were stationed in the median on Water Street to prevent U-turns and keep an eye on things. They had been hearing explosions all night, as fireworks were being set off in the area.
According to reports, at a quarter past midnight, police said a car drove by and someone threw a lit explosive that exploded next to two officers.
The two officers’ names were not released; however, we do know that they were a 45-year-old and a 40-year-old. Both officers were taken to the hospital for treatment of their injuries.
Other officers who witnessed the incident were able to obtain the licenses plate number of the vehicle and run it.
Police were able to locate the vehicle, which was registered to Derek Smith, parked near his address on North 50th. Police towed the car, and when Smith came to the police station the next day to retrieve his vehicle, officers arrested him.
Five persons have been arrested in connection with an incident in which explosives were thrown at police officers, officials say. https://t.co/XEEwN0CW3r
— FOX6 News (@fox6now) July 12, 2021
Formolo said:
“This is no less dangerous than discharging a firearm at somebody,”
Police reportedly found 90 M-80’s, four M-1000’s and another pipe bomb in one of the suspect’s cars.
Police also searched Smith’s phone and found a long voice-to-text where he said:
“We had some bombs, like some pipe bombs. Ones that make the whole city shake.”
CBS58 reported that according to MPD, the following five individuals were arrested in connection to this incident:
- Gerrell Bufford was charged with two counts of First Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety, Use of a Dangerous Weapon – Party to a Crime and one count of Possession of Explosives for Unlawful Purpose – Party to a Crime. If convicted, he could face up to 47 years, 6 months in prison and could be fined up to $75,000.
- Demetrius A. Powell was charged with five counts of Possession of Improvised Explosive Device. If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison and could be fined up to $50,000.
- Derek M. Smith was charged with two counts of First Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety, Use of a Dangerous Weapon – Party to a Crime, one count of Possession of Explosives for Unlawful Purpose – Party to a Crime and one count of Damage of Property by Explosives. If convicted, he could face up to 87 years, 6 months in prison and could be fined up to $175,000.
- Javaier D. Thompson was charged with two counts of First Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety, Use of a Dangerous Weapon – Party to a Crime, one count of Possession of Explosives for Unlawful Purpose – Party to a Crime. If convicted, he could face up to 47 years, 6 months in prison and could be fined up to $75,000.
- Lawrence T. Turner was charged with one count of Possession of Improvised Explosive Device – Habitual Criminality Repeater. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison and could be fined up to $10,000.
All of the explosives’ police found are considered illegal by the federal government.
As part of their investigation, police said they’ve found a black market for them.
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