A homeless man allegedly assaulted a Rockland police officer on Saturday night after fleeing the scene of an attempted break-in.
At approximately 10:30 p.m., Rockland police officers responded to reports of a man attempting to break into a vacant residence that had been the site of several recent break-ins.
Responding officers interviewed witnesses and located a male suspect, Lucas Ross, 28, who is homeless.
Ross allegedly fled, and an officer began pursuing him on foot for a short time. The officer caught up with Ross and was able to stop him while he attempted to escape into a residential backyard.
The suspect allegedly continued to resist even after the officer caught him and began struggling and refusing to comply with commands.
Equipment malfunctions and the physical altercation prevented other responding officers from providing backup or communicating with the officer struggling with Ross.
During the fight, Ross allegedly kneed the officer in the head.
Despite the struggle, the officer was eventually able to arrest Ross after local good Samaritans joined in to help subdue the suspect and informed backup of the officer’s location.
Ross faces charges of refusing to submit to arrest or detention and felony assault on an officer.
