Man Allegedly Bit Police Officer, Tried To Steal His Cruiser

A New Hampshire man was arrested after he allegedly tried to steal a police cruiser and bit an officer during the attempted theft in a bizarre incident Sunday.

Oscar Alicea, 24, of Nashua, faced an array of charges following his alleged actions, including four counts of reckless conduct, theft of a motor vehicle, theft of a motor vehicle, robbery, three counts of conduct after an accident, simple assault on a police officer, resisting detention, resisting arrest, obstructing government administration, and operating without a valid license, Fox News reported.

According to Lt. Daniel Mederos of the Nashua Police Department, Officer Michael Kekejian was conducting a traffic stop at the time when the suspect jumped into the latter’s cruiser and put it in gear. In order to stop Alicea from driving away with his vehicle, Kekejian got on top of the accused and a struggle ensued.

Even as the officer tried to stop him from stealing his car, Alicea put the car in motion and began driving with the driver’s door open. Since he could not see where he was directing the car to, he ended up crashing into a fence and a porch. The car came close to running over pedestrians in the streets before coming to a stop after hitting a park bench.

At some point during the scuffle between the officer and the suspect, Alicea bit the officer’s arm as he continued to “recklessly” drive around the area. After the vehicle came to a halt the accused resisted arrest before being subdued by Kekejian and taken into custody. The officer, who also sustained a head injury, was taken to the nearby hospital for treatment and was released later.

Authorities later said the suspect was not part of the traffic stop and his original intention was to damage the cruiser. "The defendant's initial intent was to smash the window of the police cruiser with a crowbar, but then he decided to steal it," said prosecutor Brett Harpster during Alicea’s arraignment, Monday, CW-affiliated WHDH reported.

Mario Tardif, a resident in the area, over whose front porch the suspect allegedly crashed the cruiser, said he witnessed Alicea’s reckless driving when he came out of the house to investigate a loud noise. “Actually, I was sitting in the house and heard a big bang and came running out, seeing the police officer's car go over the grass over here and into the park and take out the bench," Tardif said.

Although the defense lawyers argued that their client had no criminal record and had never “engaged in violent behavior before,” the judge ruled that Alicea was a danger to himself and others. He was held without bail.