SPRING VALLEY – A reported robbery attempt at the village’s transportation center led to a Pomona man’s arrest on multiple charges, including attempted criminal possession of a weapon after police said the man tried to grab the officer’s Taser, the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office reports.
Thomas Brenner, 34, of Pomona was arrested during the Feb. 5 incident and charged with with the following offenses: third-degree attempted robbery, a felony; fourth-degree attempted criminal possession of a weapon, a misdemeanor; resisting arrest, a misdemeanor; and second-degree obstructing governmental criminal administration, a misdemeanor.
The fourth-degree charge stemmed from accusations that Brenner tried to take the officer’s Taser. The third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a felony, is a charge added when there is a previous conviction, which included a previous attempted arson conviction in 2023, according to records.
Woman flags down Rockland police after being struck
At around 3:15 p.m. Feb. 5, a Sheriff’s patrol officer was on routine patrol at the Spring Valley Transportation Center. A woman flagged him down to report that a male subject had just struck her while she was seated at the transportation center awaiting a bus.
As the officer exited his patrol vehicle to speak with the suspect, police said the male immediately became aggressive and charged at the officer. During the confrontation, police said that the suspect grabbed the officer’s department-issued Taser and tried to remove it from its holster.
The officer was able to quickly gain control, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The woman did not have reported injuries, the Sheriff’s Office reported. The officer also didn’t seek medical attention, the sheriff’s report states.
What’s next
The suspect was arraigned at the Spring Valley Justice Court and remanded to the Rockland County jail pending a future court appearance.
He had an appearance on Spring Valley Village Court on Feb. 11 and was released with a future return date.
Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco said in a statement that the officer’s swift and professional actions prevented any further harm.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Man tried to grab Rockland deputy’s Taser in scuffle, police say
Reporting by Nancy Cutler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
