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Officers Keith Bland and Robert Brack were dispatched to Ross Simon Jewelry, where store employees said a New York City couple tried to pass the phony card.
They were arresting both when 43-year-old Preston Bryant (far left) “started to punch, kick and bite” the officers, Police Chief Christopher J. Brock told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
Seeing their predicament, an alert mall security officer called headquarters for backup, the chief said.
Several officers responded and helped get the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Bryant under control, Brock said, noting that the woman, 40-year-old Chermaine Quinones, complied.
Brack was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was treated for a broken nose, an injured neck and several bite marks on his arm, the chief said. When the officer will be cleared to return to work hasn’t been determined, he said.
Bland was treated for bite marks, as well, then returned to work, Brock said. Bryant was taken to the Bergen County Jail, where he is being held on $25,000 bail, charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, fraud, and identify theft, among other charges.
Quinones is charged with conspiracy to commit theft and credit card fraud. She’s being held on $10,000 bail at the county lockup.
Hours later, Officer Dave Betancourt was investigating another incident when he saw two women shouting “stop him” as they chased a man through the mall, the chief told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
Betancourt grabbed him, Brock said, and the women later said they spotted the accused thief in a private office area at The Pet Company. They said he told them he was “looking for the bathroom” and then walked out, while hiding something beneath his shirt.
That’s when she noticed her purse missing, one of the women told Betancourt.
Detective Michael Cebulski was backing up Betancourt when the suspect pushed both officers and took off, Brock said.
They caught up and tackled him, with Cebulski sustaining a severely sprained his left thumb and hand, the chief said. The detectives was treated at The Valley Hospital and released. How long he will be off the job couldn’t be determined yet, the chief said.
Meanwhile, Jason Ingram (aka Robert Harris), 39, of Hackensack is charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, burglary, theft and providing phony identification to police. He’s being held on $25,000 bail in the Bergen County Jail.
PHOTOS: Courtesy Paramus Police Department
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