A man suspected of breaking into a woman's apartment punched and assaulted multiple officers in Montgomery County, Maryland, on Friday evening, and two officers suffered serious injuries, police say.
Officers went to the 7900 block of Spiceberry Circle in Gaithersburg just after 8 p.m. because someone was seen spraying a fire extinguisher in a hallway, police said. A woman at the building reported to police that the same suspect had broken into her apartment.
Police then searched for the suspect, later identified as 35-year-old Jermaine Palmer, in the area of Washington Grove Lane and Mineral Springs Drive.
When an officer spotted Palmer and went up to him, Palmer punched him in the face, causing the officer to fall backward onto the pavement and hit his head, police said. Medics took the unconscious officer to a hospital. He suffered serious, non-life threatening injuries, police said.
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Palmer, meanwhile, ran off toward the Flower Hill Shopping Center, and multiple officers found him a short time later in the McDonald's there, police said.
As the officers tried taking him into custody, Palmer resisted and repeatedly punched them. One of those officers was also taken to a hospital with serious, non-life threatening injuries, police said.
Police eventually managed to arrest Palmer during the struggle and took him to a hospital before taking him to jail, authorities said.
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Palmer was charged with multiple counts of assault, possession of controlled substances and burglary. Police said he's in jail without bond.
Stay with News4 for updates to this developing story.
