March 28, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Man resists arrest attempt> Officers confront martial arts threats on Bangor lawn

BANGOR — A man police said was convicted of setting a residence on fire with his wife still inside faces numerous charges in Maine after he fought with police sent to arrest him on a probation violation late Wednesday night.

In addition to the probation violation, 40-year-old Joseph Little was charged with assaulting a police officer, refusing to submit to an arrest, criminal threatening and disorderly conduct.

Two police officers showed up at Little’s residence at 60 Bald Mountain Drive about 9:15 p.m. at the request of Little’s probation officer, who was investigating reports that Little had been drinking at a local establishment. Little is prohibited from drinking as part of probation conditions he received after he served time in prison for arson, according to police.

Little also has a 1998 assault conviction from a previous brush with Bangor police.

Probation officer Ruth Quirino told the officers that Little has martial arts training and has violated probation numerous times before, having served 18 months for previous violations. Each time, he fought with police, she told Officers Brent Beaulieu and Erik Tall.

Confronting Little at his doorstep, the officers tried to escort him to a cruiser so that he could take an Intoxilyzer test at the police station. The 6-foot, 310-pound man jumped onto his lawn and took a martial arts stance. He waved his hands around in the air and asked police, “Do you want a piece of this?” Beaulieu and Tall reported.

Both officers pepper-sprayed the intoxicated Little who stopped and rubbed his eyes momentarily, before returning to the martial arts stance.

“Let’s rock and roll,” Little told police, shortly before lunging at Beaulieu, police reported.

The officer struck Little with his baton, hitting the man on the left leg. “Oh, that hurt,” Little said sarcastically, the officers reported.

Tall and Beaulieu struck Little several times in the legs with their batons, but Little pressed forward, grappling with Tall. The officer said Little tried to grab his throat with his left hand and his head with his right hand. Meanwhile, Tall fended off Little by pressing his left arm against the man’s chest and neck.

Little grunted and snarled as he tried to force himself away from the building, Tall reported. As repeated warnings and baton blows to the leg proved ineffective, Beaulieu struck Little in the kidney. Little fell to the ground where police handcuffed him, according to the report.

At the jail, police reported Little threatened to retaliate against the officers.

Both Tall and Beaulieu suffered injuries to their hands, while Little apparently was being treated for a broken wrist Thursday at Eastern Maine Medical Center.


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