Two officers are hospitalized and one person who is accused of attacking police has been arrested after officers responded to a fight at a park in Norwich on Saturday, police said. Police said law enforcement from several departments responded and officers used pepper spray on a crowd that “had grown hostile” toward police.
Initially, two Norwich police officers responded to Jenkin’s Park after a woman called 911 around 4:48 p.m. on Saturday and asked police to respond to the Mechanic Street park because of a possible fight over an ex-boyfriend.
A charity basketball tournament was being held and police found 200 to 300 in the park
Then they saw 10 to 20 people fighting outside the fence near the basketball courts and ran to break it up, police said.
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As officers tried to separate the people who were fighting, several people jumped the fence and got involved in the fight, so the officers called for more officers to respond, police said.
Before the additional response arrived, one of the officers saw a man bleeding from the nose and mouth and called for an ambulance.
As they were waiting for the ambulance, a 23-year-old man ran from a parking lot across the street and punched another male in the back of the head and he needed medical attention as well, police said.
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The officer who was nearby used pepper spray to stop the suspect from attacking the person, but he ran.
Additional officers responded and tried to take the suspect into custody, but he attacked the officers, put one in a chokehold, then punched the officer and kneed to the officer in the head, police said.
Other officers punched the suspect and used pepper spray and a stun gun and he released the chokehold on the officer, police said.
They then placed the suspect in handcuffs and transported him.
Police said the crowd “had grown hostile” toward the officers and they used pepper spray on people who surrounded the officers, but the crowd refused to leave.
Norwich police called for mutual aid and State Police, Montville Police, Ledyard Police and Killingly Police responded, the park was cleared and the event was shut down.
Two officers were taken to Backus Hospital to be treated for injuries including facial and head injuries, police said.
The man who was arrested was held on a $250,000 bond and charged with breach of peace, assault on a police officer, assault in the second degree and interfering with an officer
He was released after posting bond.
Several people who were there on Saturday said they do not think that police handled the situation appropriately.
"It got pretty big, it got pretty rough, but we were breaking it up," on eventgoer said.
“The narrative that’s out there is it was gang activity, it was gang members fighting. No, it was teenage boys fighting over a female that got to a certain point where it looked like it was something more than it was but it wasn’t," an eventgoer added.
Norwich police said they are aware of several social media videos and said they do not clearly depict the entirety of what the officers encountered.
They said police body camera footage will be available in the near future, but images of minors will need to be protected and redacted before that happens.
“While we realize any use of force used by an Officer, at face value, is visually and emotionally upsetting, we ask you to hold judgment of the Norwich Police Department and Norwich Police Officers until all facts are presented,” police said in a news release.
They said the investigation is continuing.
Anyone who saw what happened or has video is asked to call the Norwich Police Department at 860-886-5561.
