CINCINNATI — The man accused of assaulting a Cincinnati police officer appeared in court for the first time Wednesday morning.
Jermykle Williams, 19, called 911 claiming to be the victim of a robbery and attacked the officer when he arrived, according to Dan Hils, president of the Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police.
According to an email from Hils, the officer was "savagely ambushed, attacked and beaten by an apparently mentally disturbed man" on Tuesday.
Cincinnati police said the alleged attack happened around 11:07 a.m.
Cincinnati police arrested Williams Tuesday afternoon. He faces charges of attempt, felonious assault, aggravated robbery and swatting.
Cincinnati Police Department Chief Teresa Theetge spoke in court during Williams' arraignment. She said her officers did not sign up to take this kind of abuse.
"As a department, as a justice system, as a society we have to say that this will not be tolerated," Theetge said.
Williams bond was set at $1.1 million.
Hils said the attack happened after Williams called 911 and told dispatchers he was the victim of a robbery; When the officer arrived at the Price Hill address given to dispatch, Williams allegedly ran up behind the officer and repeatedly punched him, Hils said.
In the struggle, Williams allegedly attempted to steal the officer's gun, according to court documents.
Hils said the police officer suffered head injuries in the attack; Cincinnati police said the officer has already been treated for his injuries and released from the hospital.
"Yet again, a Cincinnati Police Officer has been savagely attacked by a mentally disturbed man while on what the officer thought was just a routine patrol," wrote Hils in the email. "Had this suspect not stopped this attack, it’s likely that he could have taken the officer’s gun and killed him. This latest attack is another reminder about how police officers can face deadly threats from unarmed individuals."
After his arrest, Williams made threats about wanting to kill police officers, according to Hils.
Williams' grandmother, Brenda Faulkner, said the incident happened outside her home on Beaumont Place. She said she heard a commotion outside and when she opened her door, she saw her grandson on top of a police officer.
Faulkner said she pulled Williams off the officer and other family members held him down until the officer could get up and place him in handcuffs. Faulkner said she didn't know why or how the fight between Williams and the officer began, but she said Williams struggles with mental health issues and hasn't been taking his prescribed medication.
Faulkner added she believes Williams suffered from a psychotic break Tuesday; She said her grandson has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and struggles with hallucinations. She called on local and area governments to do more to make mental health resources more accessible to the public.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers released a statement about the incident Tuesday afternoon:
"Today another Cincinnati police officer was viciously attacked in an ambush," reads the statement from Powers. "This must stop. Under no circumstances will violence against our police be tolerated in Hamilton County. If you assault a cop — you better be ready to go to prison."
In a brief press conference following Williams' arraignment, Theetge spoke to the importance of helping individuals get the mental health services they need.
"This is the second time in less than two months that we've had a Cincinnati police officer that was... attacked and ended up being taken to the hospital for medical treatment," she said.
Earlier this year, in July, a different Cincinnati officer was allegedly attacked at Sawyer Point Park while on patrol. In that incident, the officer was responding to the park near the tennis courts for the report of a man exposing himself; When the officer got there, he was allegedly attacked by 34-year-old Brandon Claiborne.
Officials said the officer was allegedly beaten with his own baton and struck several times with his own Taser. Earlier in September, Claiborne was deemed by a judge to be incompetent to stand trial for the charge of attempted murder of a police officer.
"Thank God both of those officers are doing well today," Theetge said.
Theetge said something needs to change and it's not what police are doing. She said CPD's policies on how to deal with people struggling with mental illness are "solid."
"We're doing our part, my challenge to everybody is social agencies step up, you get money from the citizens of Hamilton County, and we need you at the table to help these individuals get the mental health treatment that they need," she said. "I think as a society, our system of dealing with people with mental health illnesses is broken."
Theetge added that she doesn't want her officers getting into situations where they have to use force against somebody with a mental illness.
"We don't want to do that. We want them to get the help that they need from the medical professionals so that we can go on and take care of other business," she said.
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