EAST FISHKILL – A 30-year-old man has been arrested by police after a series of violent attacks in Hopewell Junction on Wednesday morning. An East Fishkill police officer and others were injured during the Sunset Drive attacks.
Jamel Williams was charged with three counts of assault, burglary, and criminal mischief, all felonies, along with the misdemeanors of menacing, criminal possession of a weapon, endangering the welfare of a child, and resisting arrest.
According to the East Fishkill Police, they responded to a Sunset Drive address at 9:20 a.m. on October 26, 2022, for a reported burglary in progress and the female homeowner being assaulted by the suspect.
As officers were responding, a separate call to Dutchess County 911 reported a man in the same area, pointing a firearm and allegedly threatening bodily harm to a person in the neighborhood.
The first East Fishkill police officer arrived on the scene and encountered the suspect, later identified as Jamel Williams, on the roadway. Williams allegedly immediately became combative by assaulting the officer as soon as he stepped out of his patrol vehicle. The officer deployed his TASER with negative results on the suspect, and the scuffle continued.
A paramedic, who arrived on the scene for the reported assault victim, saw the officer in a scuffle and attempted to intervene. The medic was also assaulted by Williams. During the altercation, according to police, Williams made multiple attempts to remove the officer’s firearm from his holster while making threats against the officer’s life. Williams was ultimately subdued by the medic and first arriving officer and held down until additional officers from East Fishkill and the state police arrived and took him into custody.
The suspect was first transported to a local hospital to confirm his medical well–being and then subsequently brought to the East Fishkill Police Department for processing. The first responding officer and paramedic were transported to the hospital for their injuries and were later released.
East Fishkill Police Chief Christopher Bellino said “The paramedic that intervened to help the officer who was fighting with the suspect helped avert a potentially deadly incident.”
An immediate investigation was conducted by the East Fishkill Police Department. No firearm was located at the scene. Investigation revealed that two women were allegedly assaulted by the suspect prior to police arrival. Both female parties, one of whom is pregnant, were transported to a local hospital for their injuries.
Williams was arraigned before the East Fishkill Town Judge Brian Rudner who remanded Williams to Dutchess County Jail with $100,000 cash bail, $300,000 bond, or a $900,000 partially secured bond.
