A 30-year-old Sackville man is facing a bevy of charges in connection with a bizarre escape attempt on the Bedford Highway earlier this week.
Police say James David Brown has been charged with assault with a weapon, assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, escaping custody, breach of probation and breach of recognizance. The charges stem from an attack that sent a Halifax Regional Police officer to hospital early Tuesday evening with injuries to his face and eye.
The officer reported he was transporting a man to police headquarters when he saw the suspect swallow something. He pulled over to check on him, but when he opened the door the man allegedly struck him with a flashlight. Police say a physical struggle ensued, and both the officer and the prisoner ended up in the middle of the highway facing oncoming traffic. Two Good Samaritans eventually stopped to help the officer gain control of the man.
The prisoner was also taken to hospital following the incident.
Police have acknowledged the man had not been handcuffed before being put into the back of the police cruiser, and that he likely grabbed the flashlight off the front seat when the officer got out of the vehicle.
No date has been set for Brown’s first court appearance.
