In the first instance, at around 0930 am, an officer was investigating suspicious activity involving a male party who was indecently exposing himself in a public area. The officer found an individual that matched the description provided by the reporting party within the vicinity. During the encounter, the individual was drinking from a bottle of champagne and appeared intoxicated. When the officer was speaking with this person, the officer was attacked as the individual swung the bottle at the officer. The officer suffered a broken hand after blocking the blow from the bottle. The individual then fled the scene and was at large. The officer recognized the identity of this person from previous encounters.
Later in the evening, an Amherst Police Officer saw the male party in question in the center of town. The officer and a back-up officer approached him and he began to run after seeing the police presence. The individual refused to stop after being ordered to and kicked one of the officers, who suffered a broken hand from the assault and battery. The male party was taken into custody after a brief struggle. The two officers will be out of service for an undetermined amount of time, pending further medical treatment.
With these new injuries, the Amherst Police Department will be down five officers. Four of the officers are out due to injuries incurred during the commission of arrests. The fifth officer that is out is due to an off duty injury.