A man faced several charges in court Monday for allegedly attacking police officers during a domestic violence call Saturday night in Newton, Massachusetts, although his roommates have disputed the police department's narrative about what happened.
Newton police said during a news conference Sunday evening that the "the assaultive, out of control suspect" punched officers, briefly knocking them unconscious during the struggle. They also said the man tried to grab a holstered gun from one of the officers after he was handcuffed.
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At court in Newton Monday, Juan Gonzalez was ordered held in jail pending a dangerousness hearing.
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Gonzalez' roommates said he was actually calm, and said that it was the police who used excessive force.
Newton Police Officers Hurt During Struggle
The Newton Police Department, alongside the city's mayor, held a news conference Sunday evening to share details they say happened during the incident on Saturday night.
Two veteran police officers were allegedly attacked after they responded to a domestic violence call in Newton at around 10 p.m., officials said. Police were said to have been able to intervene upon arrival, but then allegedly became the target of the suspect, whom they did not identify, since he the incident involved a suspected domestic violence case.
The suspect was up on a bed shouting at the officers that they were not going to be allowed to take him into custody, and a violent struggle ensued, according to Chief John Carmichael. It went from the bed to the floor, and a coffee table was broken in the process.
During the struggle, police allege the suspect forcefully tried to take one of the cops' guns and punched both of them in the head. One officer was allegedly hit so violently that the assault rendered them unconscious for a moment.
The officers were able to get handcuffs on the suspect, at which point the violent assault allegedly continued. According to the police chief, the suspect assaulted one of the officers while he had handcuffs on and still was able to reach and got ahold of one of cops' weapons, trying to remove it from the holster, and set off the emergency button on the portable radio.
That suspect is now facing several charges, including including two counts of assault and battery on a police officer, two counts of attempting to disarm a police officer and resisting arrest, Carmichael said at the press conference.
Roommates Dispute Police's Narrative
Davio Pena and Diego Colindres, the roommates of the suspect, contacted NBC10 Boston after watching the remarks by officials.
“The picture that they’re painting is not true," Pena said. "It’s not accurate. I saw the report saying that officers were unconscious, that officers were being punched. I didn’t see any of that."
Pena and Colindres say their roommate was actually calm when officers walked into their apartment.
“He was standing watching TV, shirt off, doing nothing, just relaxing after a night out,” Colindres said.
The roommates claim the alleged victim had left their place an hour prior to the officers' arrival, and that it was the cops who used excessive force.
“Like he’s screaming for his life and I run into the apartment and I see one of the officers holding him in a chokehold while he’s handcuffed and another officer punching him in the face multiple times,” Pena alleged.
The pair of roommates shared with NBC10 Boston video they took that they say captured the encounter, which a spokesperson for the police department declined to comment on. The officers were said to not be wearing body cameras.
Officers Released From Hospital
Both of the officers who were allegedly attacked were taken to Newton Wellesley Hospital following the incident, and were released that night. One of the police officers was left with a concussion after being punched several times, according to the police chief. The officers were said to be sore but recovering.
Chief Carmichael mentioned on Sunday that domestic violence calls tend to be among the most dangerous that police officers respond to.
"The job itself is obviously inherently dangerous but these are very dangerous types of calls as you can see from this particular case,” he said. "This is just a situation that our officers face everyday. They go to these types of calls, and they're very unpredictable and very dynamic. I appreciate the work they do everyday when they respond to these calls to keep victims safe and to keep our community safe."
