Man Tried To Gouge Out Officer's Eyes In Manassas: Police

MANASSAS, VA — A man assaulted a police officer by forcing their head into the ground and shoving his thumb into their eye on Sunday evening in Manassas, the Prince William County Police Department said.

The officer suffered minor injuries, according to authorities.

The police department identified the man as 21-year-old Brayan Villalta Vasquez. He is charged with attempted malicious wounding of a law enforcement officer, obstruction of justice, and possession of a schedule I/II narcotic.

Villalta Vasquez's court date is scheduled for Sept. 13 and he is being held without bond at the Prince William County Adult Detention Center.

If convicted of all charges, Villalta Vasquez could face up to 51 years in prison, based on Virginia's sentencing guidelines.

The incident occurred around 6:3o p.m. on Sunday as officers investigated a robbery near Sudley Road and Irongate Way in Manassas. Officers said they saw a man matching the suspect's description walking in the area and tried to detain him.

"He resisted and refused to follow commands," the police department said in its report. "During the struggle, the accused got on top of the officer and pushed their head into ground before using his thumb to press into the officer’s eye."

People in the area helped the officer take Villalta Vasquez into custody, authorities said.

When officers searched Villalta Vasquez as they arrested him, they found "pressed pills consistent with Fentanyl."

Villalta Vasquez has not been charged in connection with the robbery that originally elicited the police response.