Man Assaults 3, Blames ISIS: Middletown Police

MIDDLETOWN, CT — A man accused of assaulting three people, along with causing about $300 worth of damage to a vehicle, told police they could blame the incident on “ISIS and the Spanish-American War,” according to the police report. At about 7 p.m. on Jan. 2, police responded to reports of a man assaulting two people in the area of Wild Bill’s Nostalgia store, located at 1003 Newfield Street, in Middletown.

The responding officer found the suspect, Jerry Sweeney Jr., lying flat on his stomach and being held down by two people, according to the police report. Police gained control of Sweeney, 38, and took him into custody.

While taking Sweeney into custody, police said he had a strong odor of alcohol emanating from his person. Police said Sweeney, who is listed as homeless, was acting belligerent and appeared to be emotionally disturbed. Sweeney told police, “You can blame this on ISIS and the Spanish-American War,” according to the report. Sweeney had a small cut on his forehead and swelling under his left eye and refused medical attention, according to police.

The first victim told police that he was traveling south on Newfield Street when Sweeney threw his backpack at his vehicle, a 2006 Toyota Corolla. He then pulled over into the Wild Bill’s parking lot to check on the damage to his car and call police when Sweeney began chasing him, according to the report. The victim said Sweeney then threw a different bag at him, striking him in the head and knocking his phone to the ground, the report states. The estimated damage to the Corolla was about $300.

A second victim, who was traveling northbound on Newfield Street in his tow truck, saw an object in the road (Sweeney’s backpack) and stopped to see what it was. He then saw the disturbance going on in the parking lot and once he stopped, Sweeney ran toward the tow truck and began throwing punches into the driver’s side window and struck the man in the face and arm, according to the report. The victim grabbed a hold of Sweeney’s arm at which time Sweeney ran back across the street and began attacking a different individual, the report states.

Police said the third victim Sweeney is accused of attacking is an employee at Wild Bill’s who saw the incident taking place while he was arriving at work and attempted to record it on his cellphone. Sweeney ran toward the employee and began attacking him, punching him in the face multiple times and knocking him to the ground, according to the report. A witness then pulled over and helped the man restrain Sweeney until police arrived.

While at police headquarters, Sweeney refused to sign any paperwork and refused to be processed, according to police.

Sweeney was charged with three counts of third-degree assault, second-degree breach of peace, third-degree criminal mischief, throwing objects at a motor vehicle, and failure to submit to fingerprinting. He was held on $10,000 bond and was released on a promise to appear in court on Jan. 10 after being arraigned, according to state judicial records.

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