Panhandling Suspect Arrested After Assaulting Police Officer

A man suspected of panhandling on Dale Boulevard near Gideon Drive in Woodbridge Tuesday was arrested the following day after assaulting a police officer and fleeing into a wooded area.

Around 3:20 p.m. Tuesday, a Prince William County police officer stopped a man near a median on Dale Boulevard near Gideon Drive in Woodbridge for suspected panhandling. During the encounter, the man provided the officer with a false identity and began to flee on foot.

When the officer attempted to stop the man, the suspect assaulted him and continued to flee. At one point, the suspect stopped and reengaged the officer before assaulting the officer a second time. The suspect then fled into a wooded area where officers lost sight of him. No injuries were reported.

A police K-9 was used to search for the suspect. During the investigation, officers were able identity the suspect as the accused and further learned that he was actively being sought on multiple warrants.

The following day, officers conducted an exhaustive search for the accused in the same wooded area and located the suspect in a tent. He was arrested without further incident.

Andre Solmon Patterson, 48, was charged with two counts of assault and battery on a LEO, one count of resisting arrest, one count of providing a false identity to law enforcement and one count of panhandling. Additional unrelated warrants were also served.

Patterson is being held without bond until a pending court date.

Image: Courtesy of Prince William County Police