Man Accused Of Assaults While High On PCP: Darien PD

DARIEN, CT — A 27-year-old Stamford man, who police said appeared to be high on marijuana laced with Phencyclidine (PCP) at the time, was arrested on multiple assault charges in connection with attacks on two people on Dec. 8 in the parking lot of the Darien Whole Foods Market, according to Darien police.

The two victims, a 59-year-old Norwalk man and a 57-year-old Stamford woman, both suffered minor injuries in the attacks, which police said included the suspect allegedly slamming their heads into a pile of rock salt.

"The suspect, a Whole Foods Market employee, was identified as Derrick Gonzalez, age 27, of Mulberry Street in Stamford," wrote Darien police in a statement. "Gonzalez was very combative, was acting erratically and was screaming incoherently. He was immediately handcuffed and restrained by officers. At that point Gonzalez stated he couldn’t see anything and Darien EMS and paramedics were called to the scene. Gonzalez was subsequently sedated by paramedics and would later admit to using marijuana laced with Phencyclidine (PCP)."

Gonzalez's first victim was the Norwalk man, who was also a Whole Foods employee who was collecting shopping carts at the time.

The man told police that Gonzalez "grabbed his jacket with one hand and his groin with the other and forced him to the ground near a pile of rock salt" and repeatedly slammed his head into the pile of rock salt.

This attack was witnessed by the Stamford woman, who had just parked her car in the Whole Foods lot. "She immediately attempted to intervene" and yelled for Gonzalez to get off of the man.

Gonzalez then attacked the woman knocking her to the ground, kicking her in the head, dragging her, jumping on top of her, pulling her hair and slamming her head into the pile of rock salt, according to police. Bystanders were eventually able to restrain Gonzalez until police arrived.

"During the entire incident, Gonzalez was screaming uncontrollably and continuously resisted officer’s attempts to detain him. He was subsequently transported to the hospital for evaluation."

Darien police obtained a warrant for Gonzalez's arrest and picked him up at his home on Jan. 2. He was charged with:

• Assault in the 3rd Degree of a Blind or Disabled Person
• Assault in the 2nd Degree
• Interfering With An Officer
• Breach of Peace

Gonzalez was held in lieu of a $10,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Stamford Superior Court on January 16.

Photo: Derrick Gonzalez. Photo credit: Darien Police Department