NORTHAMPTON — A mistakenly issued arrest warrant led to a violent arrest and an assault charge for a Cummington man Friday afternoon.
William George Litchfield, 29, pleaded not guilty Monday in Northampton District Court to disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and assault and battery on a police officer.
Litchfield was arrested around 5 p.m. Friday along Main Street on a warrant out of Northampton District Court on charges of assault, larceny of a motor vehicle and resisting arrest. But the warrant was issued by mistake by the court clerk’s office, Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Lori Odierna said in court Monday.
Northampton Police, believing there was a “possible outstanding warrant” for Litchfield’s arrest, approached him after spotting him on Main Street near Gothic Street, according to a report by Officer Brandon Lagoy. When Lagoy parked his cruiser, Litchfield started walking to the car of his own accord, Lagoy wrote. The two began to talk and Lagoy told Litchfield about the warrant. It was at that point Litchfield put down the bag he was carrying and the officer told him not to run, according to the report.
“Litchfield immediately began sprinting across Main St. toward Pleasant St. I caught up to Litchfield just as he crested the sidewalk in front of GoBerry (80 Main St.)” Lagoy wrote. “I ordered Litchfield to get on the ground. I grabbed a hold of Litchfield’s arms in an attempt to subdue him. Litchfield placed both of his arms on my chest/shoulder area and pushed me away, in an attempt to flee again but was unsuccessful.”
Anticipating that Litchfield was going to punch him, Lagoy punched Litchfield in the face “in an attempt to stop him from resisting,” the officer wrote. Shortly after this, a GoBerry patron came out to assist the officer and grabbed Litchfield around the waist and the man and the officer forced Litchfield to the ground, according to Lagoy’s report.
Police said Litchfield continued to resist while on the ground and as officers placed him in handcuffs.
The incident was witnessed by many, causing some to question the officers’ actions. Others described Litchfield as combative.
Elissa Alford, who saw the chase and arrest, said it appeared that Litchfield slipped and fell as he ran across Main Street, after which the officer chasing him caught up to him and began to punch him in the face. She said she felt it was an unnecessary use of force and said that she saw the arresting officer continue to strike Litchfield in the face as the two bystanders helped to restrain him.
“I’ve been a resident of Northampton for 16 years, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” Alford said, adding that she was driving with a refugee from the Congo in her car when the incident occurred. “I was just saying how safe Northampton is, and then for this to happen …”
Benjamin Boliver, a homeless Northampton resident, said he was in front of CVS as he often is when he saw an officer chase and then catch Litchfield before Litchfield escaped the officer’s grasp and ran to the curb near GoBerry and Ten Thousand Villages. Boliver said he saw the man swing at the officer, after which the officer punched Litchfield in the face. Litchfield continued to fight the officer, Boliver said, and the officer punched him in the head and torso to get him down on the ground.
Boliver said it seemed to him that the first arresting officer felt the need to defend himself from Litchfield, who Boliver described as “combative.”
“This was a big, thick officer,” Boliver said. “But he had a very hard time controlling the individual.”
Tracy Harris, an employee at Strada Shoes on Main Street, said he thought the officer did what he had to do in the situation, but after Litchfield had been restrained and arrested, Harris said he saw five or six police vehicles surround Litchfield, which he said seemed unnecessary.
“It happened so fast. After an event that lasted 30 seconds to a minute, to have five or six police cars for one dude, I think that’s overboard,” he said.
Reached Monday afternoon, Police Chief Jody Kasper said she was aware of the call and it would be treated the same as all instances where officers use force. Officers will submit their use-of-force forms and it will go through that review process to determine if it complied with the department’s policy. A determination is made after the forms are reviewed by the officer in charge, a defensive tactics instructor, a training coordinator and the captain of operations.
“It’s really hard for people to watch police officers have to put their hands on someone. It is always difficult. Whether it is justifiable or not, it can be hard for people to watch,” Kasper said. “I know that it was a very busy location and many people who watched it.”
On the topic of the warrant, Kasper said officers call into the station to verify, using the warrant management system.
“If the warrant was entered in error, that has nothing to do with the police department. It was a good warrant at the time of the arrest,” she said.
Appearing in court Monday morning, Litchfield’s right eye was slightly bruised and there were red marks on his left cheek.
In asking for $1,500 bail, Odierna argued that Litchfield had previously been incarcerated on similar charges in multiple courts. Defense attorney Everald Henry told the court that the incident was a misunderstanding and Litchfield was not attempting to flee but was trying to speak to his wife, who Litchfield claimed was across the street.
Judge W. Michael Goggins set bail at $500.
Litchfield’s next scheduled court appearance is May 4.
Editors note: This story was updated on April 10, 2018, to clarify a paraphrased quote. Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com. M.J. Tidwell can be reached at mjtidwell@gazette.com.