Man taken to ER, kicks, spits on officer

An intoxicated male became violent and spit on an officer after he was taken to an emergency room the morning of July 4.

IUPD officers found David Knight Jr. leaning against the front door of Yogi’s Grill & Bar early the Fourth of July. When officers approached Knight, he was swaying in circles with glassy, bloodshot eyes and appeared to have urinated on himself, IUPD Capt. Jerry Minger said, reading from a police report. Yogi’s Grill & Bar was closed at the time.

After giving Knight dexterity tests, officers arrested him for public intoxication. When they searched him, they found a bag of what appeared to be marijuana, a plastic bag with two blue pills and 1 1/2 white pills in another bag. Because of his level of intoxication, officers took him to an emergency room at about 3 a.m. 

At the hospital Knight became aggressive. He said he wanted to kill the officers and tried to grab one of the officer’s guns while his handcuffs were still on. 

At one point, Knight jumped over the bed in the hospital room he was placed in and ran at one of the officers. He was restrained on the floor, and leg restraints were placed on him because he was attempting to kick the officers, according to the police report. 

He continued to beverbally abusive and tried to get up from his bed, at which point the officers had to put additional restraints on Knight. After spitting on one of the officers, hospital staff applied a spit shield to Knight’s face, according to the police report.

Knight was transferred to jail at 5:19 a.m. He was charged with battery, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and public intoxication.