TRAVERSE CITY -- A man who allegedly tussled with police officers and smashed one of their cars faced a Taser -- and now could face multiple criminal charges.
Traverse City police were called at about 3:30 a.m. Sunday to a party on the 1500 block of East Front Street on a report of a disorderly person.
Officers found an Elk Rapids man, 28, in an argument in front of the residence. The man allegedly arrived at the residence intoxicated, Traverse City Police Capt. Steve Morgan said.
"He shows up with this guy, and he's all nasty," Morgan said.
The suspect knew someone at the party, but didn't know the person who lived there. He became "aggressive and vulgar" when asked to leave, and police were called when he refused.
Officers handcuffed the man, but released him when no one at the scene wished to file a complaint.
Officers told him to leave multiple times, Morgan said, but the man began shouting obscenities and wouldn't depart. When officers told him they planned to arrest him for disorderly conduct, he allegedly became combative and swung at the officers.
A patrol vehicle was damaged in the struggle when the man, whom Morgan described as very large, slammed into a vehicle.
"When he was trying to punch the officers, he wound up against one of the cars," Morgan said. "He's a big guy, and he did considerable damage to one of the fenders."
An officer eventually used a Taser to subdue the man. He was taken to Grand Traverse County's jail and could be charged with being a disorderly person and resisting or assaulting a police officer.
Officers handle plenty of similar complaints, Morgan said,
"We see a lot of people verbally aggressive," he said. "When someone is trying to strike an officer like that, we don't get that a whole lot."
Police believe the car will cost several hundred dollars to repair.
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