*** WATCH *** Barnstable Patrolwoman bitten during warrant arrest…

HYANNIS – A routine arrest of a woman on a default warrant escalated when the suspect began violently resisting arrest this morning.

At around 9:45 a.m., in a parking lot near the intersection of Main Street and High School Road, a sergeant and a patrolwoman, both members of the Barnstable Police Department’s Community Services Unit approached and began speaking with a woman wearing a red hoodie. The woman, known to the officers, was wanted on a default warrant out of Falmouth for Receiving a Stolen Credit Card and Receiving Stolen Property, according to radio transmissions.

The situation escalated quickly as the woman began shouting, flailing her arms, and pointing at the patrolwoman who was trying to calm her down. Officers patiently endured the woman’s tirade while attempting to explain to her that it was a warrant she needed to take care of in court.

It came to a point where officers had to put their hands on the woman in order to make the arrest. The woman became even more enraged and began to fight officers by pulling her arms away while attempting to kick them. Officers then brought the woman to the ground in an effort to gain control of her. The woman continued to resist arrest by pulling her hands together underneath her body. At one point the woman appeared to be trying to bite one of the officers. It was at this time that the patrolwoman said, “she’s biting me.”

Once in cuffs, the woman continued to fight officers. Officers needed to put a “spit hood” on the woman because she was reportedly trying to spit on them.

As you will see in the following HN Video, the woman continued to fight officers by not taking a seat in the cruiser. After what appeared to be escape attempts, three patrol officers needed to pick her off the ground and basically cram her into the vehicle.

At this point, the patrolwoman began checking her arm where she had been bitten. It appeared the skin may have been broken so a Hyannis FD Rescue ambulance was called to the scene. The officer was checked out by rescue before eventually returning to her cruiser. Whether her bite wound needed further care at CCH was unknown at the time of this report.

The female suspect was transported back to Barnstable Police Headquarters for booking on the warrant. She is also facing additional charges related to assault and battery on a police officer and resisting arrest.

HN NOTE: These two Barnstable Police Officers showed an abundance of patience and restraint. They are both members of the Community Services Unit which is dedicated to building relationships with members of the community, including our homeless population. I have personally observed this particular patrolwoman consistently reach out to the downtrodden with an amazing amount of compassion and concern. The members of this special unit are out there to help. A person does not have the right to resist arrest for a warrant issued by the court. If a sworn police officer places you under arrest, the best course of action is to exercise your rights by taking care of the situation in front of a judge. Also, our police officers do not deserve to be fought, spit on, or bitten, especially when they are doing their job patiently and with compassion.

The following HN Video contains still frames, video, and police radio transmissions…

[HN VIDEO – PRESS PLAY]