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Austin E. Whitmire, of Falls Church, was bleeding from his hand in the parking lot of a business when Branchburg Township police officers arrived on the scene just before midnight on Friday, Sept. 23, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald.
Whitmire had allegedly been trying to break a fence before police were called. While speaking with them, the man punched the fence before yelling, cursing, and lunging at one of the officers, authorities said.
While the officers were attempting to handcuff Austin Whitmire, he refused to comply with their verbal commands and kicked one of the officers in the thigh, they said. A second officer was left with a minor cut to his leg.
Soon after, as he was being escorted into an ambulance, Whitmire spit at one of the officers, the prosecutor said.
Whitmire has been charged with the following offenses:
- Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer,
- Throwing Bodily Fluid on a Law Enforcement Officer
- Criminal Mischief and Resisting Arrest
- Creating Public Alarm
After receiving medical treatment, Whitmire was sent to the Somerset County Jail, where he awaits a detention hearing.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the Branchburg Township Police Department at (908) 526-3830 or via the STOPit app.
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