Thief Who Stole From Hamptons Store Punches Officer In Face: Police

BRIDGEHAMPTON, NY — A Hampton Bays man was arrested after stealing from a store in the Bridgehampton Commons, and then, punching a police officer in the face, authorities said.

According to Southampton Town police, on Tuesday at about 5:34 p.m., officers responded to the report of a larceny at Williams Sonoma, located on Montauk Highway in Bridgehampton, in the Bridgehampton Commons shopping center, police said.

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The caller reported that the two individuals who committed the larceny had fled the area in a white Nissan, police said.

Southampton Town Police Department patrol units and community response units responded to the area and conducted an investigation, police said.

That investigation led to a car stop on George Street in Hampton Bays, officials added.

When community response officers stopped the vehicle, two people exited the vehicle, police said.

The man, who was the driver, struck one of the officers in the head with a closed fist — and the female passenger ran away on foot, police said.

The driver, Anthony Blanco, 57, was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree assault, a felony; obstruction of governmental administration, a misdemeanor; and resisting arrest, a misdemeanor, police said.

Officers are still looking for the female passenger, police said.

The officer was treated at an area hospital and released, police said.

The investigation into the original larceny complaint is still pending; a Southampton Village K-9 unit and the Southampton Town Police Department's drone unit assisted with the investigation, police said.