Man Accused Of Spitting At, Defecating On Royal Oak Police

ROYAL OAK, MI — A man was arrested in Royal Oak Friday and accused of spitting at and defecating on police while claiming he was trying to infect officer with HIV and the coronavirus as they tried to arrest him for a prior assault, according to the Royal Oak Police Department.

The man, identified by police as 22-year-old Brandon Newberry, was arraigned Monday on charges of false exposure to harmful substance, felonious assault and resisting arrest, police said.

“To say the officers involved in this incident showed tremendous restraint would be an understatement," Royal Oak Police Chief Corrigan O'Donohue said. "I am very proud of them and how they conducted themselves. They are both tough guys and can, quite frankly, handle some physical abuse, but the potential of the HIV and COVID exposure is going to cause a tremendous amount of anxiety for them and their young families.”

Police said that around 11:30 p.m. Friday, they received multiple 911 calls regarding an assault that was still in progress. Police said one call was a neighbor who had called saying a woman was being assaulted and that they could hear screaming.

Other calls included a man who said he was stabbed in the forearm and from a woman who said she had been stabbed in the hand, police said. Both required medical assistance, police said.

When police arrived, Newberry had barricaded himself in an apartment in the 2500 block of Rochester Road, police said.

One of the victims said she drove from Flint to spend time with the accused for the week, police said. Newberry and the victim met another friend at a bar and invited the friend back to the apartment they were staying at, police said. Newberry became angry for unspecified reasons, police said, and attacked the two victims. The fight continued outside the apartment before Newberry barricaded himself inside the apartment, police said.

Police said they forced their way into the apartment and found Newberry in the shower. Newberry resisted the officers attempts to arrest him and was verbally abusive, police said. He also defecated on the officers as they tried to arrest him, police said.

When Newberry was handcuffed, he tried to launch himself off the balcony and tried to intentionally fall down the stairs, police said. Newberry spit at officers during the original arrest in the bathroom and kicked another officer, according to police.

Newberry was taken to the police station and remained combative, trying to spit and intentionally cough on the officers, police said. While in an elevator, Newberry coughed on an officer before he could put a spit mask on him, police said.

After being placed in a cell, Newberry removed the spit mask and tried to choke himself with it, police said. Officers said they encroached the cell and Newberry put his mask into the toilet water and then threw it at the officers, hitting one in the face.

Newberry said throughout the incident he was trying to infect the officers with HIV and the coronavirus, police said.

The accused then tried to drown himself in the toilet, police said. Newberry was transported to William Beaumont Hospital for treatment and the officers involved were also treated for their exposure, police said.

Police said Newberry has a criminal history including convictions for assault and battery, malicious destruction of property, disturbing the peace and driving with a suspended license.

Newberry's bond was set at $50,000, police said.