Man Charged with Assault after Striking Officer

Police charged William G. Randall, 52, of 46 Harvey Road, Middletown, with simple assault Tuesday morning after he allegedly hit a police officer in the arm in the Braga Park parking lot in Newport.

Police said an officer was sitting in a cruiser all by himself at around 9 a.m. in the lot when Randall was seen speeding onto Ellery Road from Daniel Street at a high rate of speed without stopping at the intersection.

Braga, who has “been confrontational to [police] through numerous police contacts,” according to a police report, then continued towards the parked cruiser and at the last second, turned and parked his van perpendicularly and directly in front of the cruiser, using up two marked spaces at an angle.

“His front bumper came within inches of striking my cruiser and came to a rest in the same parking space my cruiser was in,” the officer reported.

The officer got out of his cruiser because he couldn’t see the driver or passengers due to a lack of rear windows on Randall’s panel van.

Fearing an ambush, the officer watched Randall emerge from the van and walk over to a water fountain to “fill his already full one-gallon water jug.” While doing so, Randall stared at the officer “in a menacing manner.”

When asked why he blocked the cruiser in, Randall reportedly just “stated at me without speaking,” the officer reported.

Meanwhile, two dogs were inside the van, barking. The officer checked the van to see if the dogs had adequate ventilation and if there were other passengers inside.

As he was looking into the window, Randall “approached me and without saying a word, struck my left arm forcibly with his right hand,” the officer reported.

Randall reportedly resisted arrest but relented at first when the officer aimed a Taser at him. He later struggled while in handcuffs and fell, suffering minor scrapes to his arm and knee, police said.

Later, at the police station, Randall reportedly said he only “nudged” the officer.

An animal control officer responded to the scene to take custody of the dogs.