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Louis Smith, 46, remained handcuffed to a hospital bed and surrounded by patrol officers at a New Brunswick hospital on Monday, days after the Route 1 incident at Hotel Vicenza, South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said.
Smith, an ex-convict from New Brunswick, had been staying at the South Brunswick hotel for two weeks when he flashed a handgun during an argument with hotel staff around 2 p.m. Friday, police said.
Officers surrounded the hotel and tried to speak with Smith as he erratically paced between the front breezeway and rear balcony of his second-floor room, Hayducka said in a statement.
During the standoff, Smith cursed at parked cars and used his cell phone to record himself blowing kisses at patrol officers, according to Hayducka.
“Smith’s erratic behavior continued with him yelling about diabetes and who he was going to vote for,” Hayducka said.
After officers spoke with a relative of Smith's, he opened his hotel room door and Detective Rick Delucia and Officer Kent English arrested him, the police chief said.
During a warranted search, police found a loaded Taurus 9mm handgun, two fully-loaded magazines, 27 ounces of marijuana, a pair of black gloves, black ski mask, baggies and a scale for weighing drugs, according to the statement.
Smith was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, terroristic threats, and distribution of controlled dangerous substances.
Smith was taken for evaluation to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where he allegedly threw urine at hospital staff and spit in the faces of police officers while handcuffed to a bed, Hayducka said.
Police charged him with two additional counts of aggravated assault, according to the chief.
“So often you only hear of these cases when officers are forced into a deadly situation,” Hayducka said. “Officers used de-escalation techniques and time to safely take him into custody. This is a credit to the officers and their training.”
“Too many people don’t realize the risks and dangers officers are willing to take to keep their communities safe. This group of officers showed the best of who we are,” the police chief said.
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