A Ocean View Police Officer was injured after being struck head-on by fleeing suspect, Chief Kenneth McLaughlin said Thursday.
McLaughlin said on Wednesday, July 22, 2020, at approximately 2:30 a.m., an officer from the South Bethany Police Department observed a suspicious male subject parked at the gas pumps at the Royal Farms store located at 58 Atlantic Ave in Ocean View.
A computer check of the vehicle Alfred S. Floyd, 34, of Cambridge, MD., was operating revealed that registration of the vehicle was suspended. The officer reported that Floyd’s behavior was bizarre, and he subsequently made contact with him.
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During the encounter, Floyd provided a false name, said McLaughlin. The officer conducted a wanted check using the information provided and discovered outstanding warrants assigned to the name he provided.
When the officer advised the man that he was under arrest and attempted to handcuff him, he pushed the officer away and fled on foot. While chasing Floyd, the officer deployed his taser; however, the taser probes failed to make contact with him.
The officer caught up with Floyd in the cemetery behind the Ocean View Presbyterian Church. A struggle ensued in the graveyard. During the struggle Floyd made attempts to remove the officer’s handgun from the holster, said McLaughlin.
As the two fought, Floyd stated multiple times to the officer that he was going to shoot and kill the officer, according to McLaughlin. Floyd broke away from the officer and ran back to his vehicle in the parking lot of the Royal Farms and drove away.
A patrol Sergeant from the Ocean View Police Department, who was responding to a call for assistance by the South Bethany officer, suffered minor injuries when the vehicle driven by Floyd collided head-on with the Sergeant’s patrol car in the east- bound lane of Atlantic Avenue. After striking the patrol car, Floyd’s vehicle came to a stop after hitting a utility pole. Both officers converged on FLOYD’s vehicle and took him into custody without further incident.
Floyd was transported by ambulance to the Beebe Hospital Southern Campus, where he was evaluated and released.
The subsequent investigation revealed that Floyd was under the influence of Methamphetamine, said McLaughlin. Ocean View Police subsequently charged him with the following offenses:
1. Attempting to remove a Firearm from the Possession of a Law Enforcement Officer (Class C Felony)
2. Criminal Impersonation (Class G Felony)
3. Criminal Mischief Over $5000 (Class G Felony)
4. Resisting Arrest with Force or Violence (Class G Felony)
5. Disregard a Police Officers Signal (Class G Felony)
6. Offensive Touching of a Law Enforcement Officer (Class A Misdemeanor)
7. Terroristic Threatening (Class A Misdemeanor)
8. Vehicular Assault 3rd Degree (Class B Misdemeanor)
9. Possession of Controlled or Counterfeit Substance – Methamphetamine (Class B Misdemeanor)
10. Driving Under the Influence – Drugs (Misdemeanor) 11. Failure to Have Required Insurance (Class A Misdemeanor)
12. Fictitious or Cancelled Registration Card (Violation)
13. Possession of Marijuana (Civil)
14. Failure to Obey a Traffic Controlled Device (Violation)
FLOYD was committed to the Delaware Department of Corrections in lieu of a $15,403.00 cash bond.
South Bethany and Ocean View officers are-cross deputized and have full police powers in both jurisdictions.
South Bethany and Ocean View police were assisted by agencies including the Bethany Beach, Fenwick Island, Dewey Beach and Selbyville police departments, Delaware State Police Troop 7 in Lewes, Delaware State Police Troop 4 in Georgetown The Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit, Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company’s fire police, Millville Volunteer Fire Company EMS, Sussex County EMS and the Delaware Department of Transportation.
A portion of Route 26 between Central Avenue and West Avenue was closed for a couple of hours and reopened before 5 a.m.