According to a press release from the Hoboken Police Department, three police officers were injured in the early morning hours of April 10 after a suspect allegedly attempted to take an officer’s handgun.
At 2:21 a.m. April 10 Hoboken Police Sergeant Donald Rosso was on patrol at Observer Highway and Henderson Street when he saw an individual allegedly break into the trunk of a parked 2019 BMW.
As Sergeant Rosso approached the individual, he allegedly fled north toward the Observer Highway Firehouse.
After a four-block foot pursuit, Officers Christopher Barral, Josh Campoverde and Sgt. Rosso, stopped the suspect at 56 Jefferson St.
A violent struggle ensued as the suspect allegedly fought the officers.
Lieutenant Mike Costello, Sergeant Anthony Russo, and Officer Jesse Castellano arrived to assist with the attempted apprehension.
As the officers attempted to handcuff the suspect, he allegedly continued to push them away, grab them, and to use his arms and legs to forcibly evade this arrest.
At one point during this struggle, the suspect allegedly grabbed Officer Barral’s gun and began to remove it from his holster.
“Barral began to yell ‘He has my gun’ repeatedly as Barral used all his strength to keep the suspect from gaining sole control of the firearm,” states the press release from the police department. “Sgt. Russo and Officer Campoverde struggled to try to keep the suspect from gaining full possession of the weapon. After a long struggle and the use of mechanical force, the officers were finally able to secure Barral’s weapon but the suspect [allegedly]continued his fight, [allegedly] attempting to grab the holsters of Sgt. Russo and Officer Campoverde.”
The officers were finally able to get the suspect handcuffed but during the handcuffing, the suspect allegedly bit Sgt. Russo on the shin.
Lt. Costello, Officer Campoverde, and Officer Barral all sustained injuries during the arrest.
Costello and Campoverde were cleared to resume work on their next shift, while Officer Barral is out injured due to a hand injury which will be re-assessed in three weeks.
“I cannot find the exact words that can adequately describe how proud I am of the valor, courage and professionalism showed by these officers during this scene,” said Hoboken Police Chief Ken Ferrante. “They all showed the true restraint from using deadly force, and they deserve the utmost credit for being able to accomplish this apprehension without using it, and without seriously injuring the suspect. Everyone needs to realize this criminal act, during a pandemic and State of Emergency, not only threatened the lives of the officers involved, but also brought extra exposures to those officers, the EMS workers who had to treat the suspect and officers, the Emergency Room staff who had to tend to them when there is so much more going on in there, the officers who then had to secure the suspect at the hospital, and then the officers who had to transport the individual to the Hudson County Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility in Kearny, and then those Corrections Officers who had to process him at the Jail’s Intake.”
The suspect, later identified as 38-year-old Jersey City resident Lonnie Clark, was charged with burglary, theft, obstructing by flight, resisting arrest by force, disarming a law enforcement officer,and aggravated assault of law enforcement officer.
He is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
