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WILKES-BARRE — A drunken man who grabbed an officer’s arm and kicked at police had to be shocked into compliance with a Taser, authorities report.
Robert J. Ankudovich, 29, Wilkes-Barre, was initially arrested this week on public intoxication and disorderly conduct charges, according to officers.
When Ankudovich was taken to police headquarters, he allegedly became combative.
Here are more details from a criminal complaint:
Officers were dispatched to a residence on East Beatty Street about 9 p.m. Monday for a report of a man smashing a door and trying to break in.
They found a man and two women standing in the roadway in the area of East Beatty. The man was identified as Ankudovich, and one of the women was identified as his sibling.
Ankudovich smelled strongly of alcohol and was shouting at his sister about her car being in the driveway. Officers asked Ankudovich to quiet down, as neighbors were beginning to look out from their windows.
Ankudovich’s sibling told police they were looking for the keys to their mother’s car. Ankudovich also denied banging on a neighbor’s door.
Ankudovich’s mother arrived, and he again began shouting obscenities and staggering away from the car. After failing to obey commands, he was taken into custody.
He was transported to headquarters with his hands cuffed behind his back. But when he arrived at the station, his hands were in front of his body.
When asked why he moved his hands from behind his back, Ankudovich replied: “Dude, I don’t know what the (expletive) happened, you cuffed me this way.”
When an officer tried to assist Ankudovich with getting out of the vehicle, he said “I got it” and pushed the officer’s hands away. The officer again tried to grab Ankudovich’s left arm, prompting the suspect to slap the officer’s hands away and say “get the (expletive) off.”
When the officer again went for Ankudovich’s arm, Ankudovich grabbed the officer’s arm. A physical struggle ensued and three officers pinned Ankudovich to a nearby vehicle and attempted to take him to the ground. As Ankudovich kicked and struggled, he kicked an officer in the thigh.
Police told him to stop resisting and to let go of the officer’s arm. That’s when police fired a Taser, but it had little effect on the suspect. A second Taser jolt — this time on Ankudovich’s foot — finally got him to release the officer’s arm.
Ankudovich now faces two felony counts of aggravated assault, plus related charges.
He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 10 a.m. May 11.
Ankudovich is housed in the Luzerne County lockup for lack of $20,000 bail.