3 Redwood City police officers injured in confrontation with shoplifter
Redwood City officers assaulted
Three Redwood City police officers are recovering after being assaulted while trying to question a suspected shoplifter. Police say they also faced hostile behavior from a large group of bystanders while they were trying to subdue the man. One of the officers suffered a fractured ankle.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Three Redwood City police officers are recovering after being assaulted while trying to question a suspected shoplifter. Police say they also faced hostile behavior from a large group of bystanders while they were trying to subdue the man. One of the officers suffered a fractured ankle in the melee while another suffered a cut to the head which required stitches. A third officer received a minor cut which did not require medical treatment.
The incident occurred at about 8:30 p.m. Friday night at the Sequoia Station shopping center on El Camino Real and Jefferson Avenue in Redwood City.
In still photos shared by an employee of a nearby restaurant, who was working at the time, you can see multiple Redwood City police officers backed up by San Mateo County sheriff’s deputies. "This time there were like eight cops and they were there for a few good hours. It was really unusual," said Benjamin Mendoza, a witness.
Redwood City police said two officers approached a man who was suspected of stealing two bottles of liquor from the Safeway store in the plaza. When one of the officers tried to question the man, police said in a statement: "He immediately struck the officer in the face with one of the bottles. The subject fought with officers and resisted efforts to place him in handcuffs. The officers attempted to use their tasers to subdue the subject, but the deployments were ineffective," the statement said. Police say a large crowd then gathered and displayed what police called "antagonistic" behavior toward the officers.
Regular shoppers said the fact that a shoplifting incident escalated to a point where three officers were hurt does raise safety concerns. "It bothers me. Because I do feel safe going in there, but if there is somebody who will go in there and make that kind of scene it is not good," said Maribeth Lalongisip, who is a regular shopper at the shopping center.
Police arrested 31-year-old Aaron Martinez of Redwood City and booked him on charges of theft, assault with a deadly weapon, assault on an officer and resisting arrest. The two officers who were most seriously hurt were treated at a local hospital and released.
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