Northampton Man Arrested After Fighting Cops

NORTHAMPTON, PA — A Northampton man was arrested on Sunday after police say he fought them during traffic stop and tried to grab a taser from at least one officer.

Dean J. Decker, 27, was charged with attempting to disarm a police officer, aggravated assault, resisting arrest, simple assault and criminal attempt. All that is on top of an outstanding felony warrant, Northampton Township Police said.

At about 1:43 a.m. on Sunday, police were called to Ponderosa Drive over a domestic dispute. The caller told officers a man and woman were arguing outside a vehicle which was then seen being driven on Ponderosa Drive toward Briarwood.

An officer stopped the vehicle, police say, and the driver — who was later identified as Decker — told the officer a woman down the street was going to kill herself and that police needed to check on her. Decker gave the officer a fake name, police say, and said he was a mechanic driving a vehicle for his job.

When police asked him to step out of the vehicle, Decker refused and, according to police, "began to actively and violently resist arrest." Police used a taser on Decker, but it had little impact, they said. While still struggling, he tried to grab the officer's taser and, later, tried to grab another officer's taser out of a holster.

Police said they were able to identify Decker by facial recognition, his tattoos and his fingerprints. He had outstanding warrants from both Bristol Township and Bucks County, police said. His bail was set at $300,000 on the charges against him.

Two police officers were treated at St. Mary's Hospital for injuries they received trying to arrest Decker.

Photo courtesy Northampton Township Police Department