Man Robs South Brunswick Motel, Then Attacks Officers, Police Say

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ - A man robbed the front desk at a Rt. 1 motel over the weekend and then attacked the police officers who responded to the 911 call, South Brunswick police said.

Problems are not uncommon in the string of low-budget motels along Rt. 1 in South Brunswick Township: Earlier this month a man was attacked at La Mirage Motor Inn and broadcast the assault on Facebook and last spring, a Hightstown man was arrested and charged with selling heroin out of the motels along Rt. 1.

In Saturday's incident, the suspect (pictured above) had just robbed the front desk manager and assaulted people in the lobby of the Hotel Vicenza on Rt. 1 just after 12 noon on Saturday, police said. Someone called 911 and Officers Brooke LaBell and Craig Cleffi arrived at the hotel within minutes. The hotel manager told the officers that the suspect, Kevin Thompson-Perry, 27, of West Paterson had assaulted two employees and a juvenile all while stealing cash from the register. The manager said Thompson-Perry then fled the lobby and headed back to his hotel room.

Officers LaBell and Cleffi went to the room and knocked on the door. Thompson-Perry slammed the door open and yelled for the officers to come in. The officers instructed Thompson-Perry to exit the room but he refused. Officer Cleffi entered the room and immediately encountered Thompson-Perry in a fighting stance. Thompson-Perry knocked Cleffi into a wall, police said. The two officers then wrestled Thompson-Perry to the ground as he spat at them. The officers were able to subdue Thompson-Perry and get him handcuffed.

Thompson-Perry was taken back to police headquarters and processed. He was charged with robbery, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, resisting arrest, throwing bodily fluids at a law enforcement officer, simple assault, and burglary. He was lodged in the Middlesex County Correction Center and is pictured above.

"The officers were faced with a suspect who was highly agitated and looking to do battle. Their quick and decisive actions resolved the situation before it could escalate any further. The danger he posed to the hotel and its guests were stopped by the officers,” said South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka.