A man suspected of breaking into a woman’s apartment punched and assaulted multiple officers in Montgomery County late Friday, police said.
Officers went to the 7900 block of Spiceberry Circle in Gaithersburg shortly after 8 p.m. because someone was seen spraying a fire extinguisher in a hallway, according to authorities. A woman in the building alerted police that the same suspect had broken into her apartment.
Deputies then searched for the suspect, identified as 35-year-old Jermaine Palmer, in the area of Washington Grove Lane and Mineral Springs Drive.
When an officer saw Palmer, he approached and Palmer punched him in the face, causing the officer to fall backwards onto the pavement and hit his head, police said. Medics took the unconscious officer to a hospital. He suffered serious, non-life-threatening injuries, according to authorities.
Palmer, meanwhile, ran to the Flower Hill shopping center, and was found by several officers a short time later at the McDonald’s.
When the officers tried to stop him, Palmer resisted, hitting them repeatedly. One of those officers was also taken to a hospital with serious, non-life-threatening injuries to him, police added.
Officers were eventually able to arrest Palmer during the fight and took him to a hospital before being booked into jail, authorities said.
Palmer was charged with multiple counts of assault, possession of controlled substances and robbery. Police indicated that he is in jail without bail.
Stay tuned for details.
