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The incident began during a motor vehicle stop on Route 4 East around 2:20 a.m., Paramus Police Chief Christopher Brock said.
Officer Anthony Liggo had pulled over a motorist for a traffic violation, with Officer Daniel Cullen assisting, when 10 or so youths walked up, shouting “bitches,” “faggots,” “pussies” and other derogatory insults, Brock said.
The officers urged them to move on, “but they refused to leave the area” and continued behaving “in a tumultuous and threatening manner,” the chief said.
Cullen tried to take one into custody, with Liggio’s help, at which point the group “began to surround the two officers in a threatening manner,” Brock said.
As the officers called for backups units, the group took off.
Brock said Cullen & Officer Nicholas Luciano chased down two of the youths — and were injured in the process: Luciano with a sprained wrist and Cullen with a sprained hand. Both were later treated at an area hospital and released, the chief said.
One of the youths was also taken to the hospital with an eye injury, he said.
He and the other youth, both 16 from Teaneck, were detained on juvenile complaints of rioting, obstruction and resisting arrest. One was also charged aggravated assault on a police officer and the other with having a knife.
They were released into their parents’ custody pending a Family Court hearing, likely on Monday.
Brock said his officers will identify the others involved and bring juvenile complaints against them, as well.
He also said the same group “was acting disorderly at the Garden State Plaza approximately two hours before this incident.
Paramus police were called by Plaza Security,” he said, and “the incident was resolved without arrest.”
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