Two brothers charged after scuffle with Bangor policeman

BANGOR – A Bangor police officer investigating a call of underage drinking early Tuesday morning said he was assaulted by two brothers at the apartment on Garland Street.

Bangor police charged Benjamin McCue, 19, and his brother James McCue, 24, both of 144 Garland St., with assault, disorderly conduct and refusing to submit to arrest. Additional charges could be filed, according to police.

At one point in the struggle, Benjamin McCue had Bangor police Officer Jason Stuart in a headlock while James McCue, who had been handcuffed, kicked the officer.

Adding to the danger, a folding knife was in the living room and two other people were also in the apartment, including a third brother, although Stuart said they stayed out of the fray.

Stuart reported that he feared someone would get his gun as he struggled with Benjamin McCue, who had him in a headlock, and a handcuffed James McCue who was kicking him.

“I secured my gun with my right hand and attempted to fight with my left hand,” Stuart reported. Stuart broke free from the headlock, although Benjamin McCue still had him by the head, a grip that he loosened when the officer used a Taser for a close-contact shock to McCue’s back, according to the police report.

Other officers arrived and got James McCue away from Stuart, although his brother fled from the apartment.

Out in the street, McCue, his mouth bloodied and shirt torn, struggled with Sgt. Ed Potter. Reaching them on the street, Stuart again used the Taser to apprehend McCue.

Stuart had been called to the Garland Street apartment shortly before 2 a.m. for a report of underage drinking. He reported that several people were in the building’s hallway and that he was pulled into the apartment while trying to prevent one of the brothers from leaving the building.