A 28-year-old man is accused of seriously injuring two St. Thomas police officers.
Police were called about an unwanted man who was damaging property at a downtown business just after 6:30 p.m. on Monday. When officers arrived, the man was allegedly "irate" and appeared to be experiencing a drug induced psychotic episode, police said.
It was discovered the man was wanted on an outstanding warrant.
Attempts by the officers to de-escalate the situation and calm the man down failed. The man "violently lashed out" and punched an officer in the face. A second officer suffered a hand injury during the encounter. Both officers were treated for serious injuries.
The man was eventually subdued and arrested. He has since been charged with two counts of assaulting a peace officer and failure to comply with a probation order and one count each of resisting arrest, and possession of a controlled substance.
Police Chief Marc Roskamp said the incident highlights the dangers associated with policing.
"We continue to see these violent occurrences play out against the police throughout Ontario and it is absolutely unacceptable. Policing is a public service like no other. There is no place for this type of violence in our community," said Roskamp.
