August 8, 2017
By Paragon News Director Paul Joseph –
Two Elk City officers recently earned their keep after finally getting compliance from a man from Indiana who was exhibiting unusual behavior.
The two officers tussled with the man for a number of minutes, even tazing him with seemingly no effect.
The two Elk City officers were admittedly worn out following a simple arrest of an Indiana man who made the arrest anything but simple.
According to a police report, police were called to a convenience store on the west side of Elk City early last month in regard to a male subject causing a disturbance. He’d just gotten off a Greyhound bus and was trying to get into vehicles in the store parking lot.
He was transported to the police department so that he could wait for the next bus in the lobby, but he left. He was found trying to open the door to a Department of Public Safety Dodge Charger in the police parking lot.
When approached, he began waling toward one of the police officer’s patrol units with the officer sitting inside. When he reached for the door handle, the officer inside told him, “No, you’re not going to that vehicle.”
The first officer that observed him attempted to place him in hand cuffs, but was only able to put his right hand in a cuff as the man, later identified as 33-year-old Marcus Eugene Simms from Evansville, Indiana tensed up and started to resist. Simms was “kneed” in the thigh and taken to the ground.
This maneuver apparently only made Simms mad and defiant.
Over a period of several minutes, the two officers tussled with Simms trying to get him to comply with their shouted requests. At one point he was drive stunned while on his back. Another time he was shot with one of the officers “Phazzer,” but Simms kept fighting back. One officer became tangled up in the conduction wires of the Phazzer and began receiving shocks to his legs.
According to the report, Simms was kicked in his head, but he only responded back to them the utterance, “forgive me, lord”
Exhausted, one officer hit Simms in the face knocking him to the ground. They were able to get on top of him, but still he resisted until one of the two officers said to the other, “choke him out!”
after a few seconds, Simms was placed in the second side of the hand cuffs when he finally became compliant.
Simms was medically cleared at the local hospital following the wrestling event for having no significant injuries.
The officers were treated for multiple scraps, cuts, abrasions and a muscle strain.
Simms is due in court on Monday for a preliminary hearing conference on felony charges of assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and loitering and molesting, driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle.
He’s due back in Beckham County District Court on August 29 for a preliminary hearing and is being held on a $20-thousand dollar bond.
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