A Schuylkill County man was jailed after he allegedly head-butted a police officer in the face over the weekend. He also allegedly ran into a shopping cart return as he attempted to avoid being arrested.
Malik Zver, 26, of Tamaqua, is charged with felony counts of aggravated assault of a designated individual and evading arrest on foot. He also faces misdemeanor counts of loitering and prowling at night time, simple assault, and three counts of resisting arrest, along with a summary count of public drunkenness. He is currently held in Schuylkill County Prison after failing to post $75,000 bail.
Police say the events leading to the head-butting began when they were dispatched to Cedar St. in Tamaqua just before 3 a.m. Saturday for reports of a man attempting to break into a structure and walking onto properties. Another caller reported hearing a window smash.
Arriving police observed Zver at the intersection of Cedar and Greenwood streets, where they allege he flipped off passing police cruisers. When police asked if he had seen anything suspicious, police say Zver ignored them and continued walking. Police then spoke with a witness who identified Zver as the man who struck his door and broke a window at a residence on Cedar Street before the witness scared him away and called 9-1-1.
Police say Zver then turned into a nearby supermarket parking lot. Officers gave verbal commands for him to stop, noting he appeared highly intoxicated with an unsteady gait. Zver began running, collided with a cart return, and fell to the ground. After police informed him he was under arrest and warned he would be tased, police say Zver got up and attempted to run toward a nearby fast-food restaurant. Police deployed a Taser, striking his upper back and leg, and took him into custody.
Police noted Zver was too intoxicated to stand, so EMS personnel were dispatched. While attempting to load Zver onto a stretcher, police say he pulled away, prompting officers to administer another five-second Taser cycle. Zver injured his face when he hit the ground and was subsequently secured to the stretcher with straps, police say.
Zver was transported to the emergency room at St. Luke’s Hospital in Coaldale. Police say he was uncooperative and aggressive toward medical staff and officers. While an officer was assisting Zver onto a bed, police allege Zver violently head-butted the officer in the face, causing a laceration to the inside of the officer’s upper lip. Zver was subdued, secured to the bed, and treated for his injuries before being cleared for incarceration.
Police say Zver continued to attempt to fight officers after being placed in a holding cell.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 21 before Magisterial District Judge Stephen Bayer.
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