Police in Worcester have arrested a man who is accused of trying to grab an officer’s gun as the officer tried to break up a large fight.
Employees at Compass Tavern told 7News a fight broke out at the far edge of their parking lot. The fight, which was estimated at between 20 and 30 people, caught the attention of a nearby Worcester Police officer on patrol.
The officer managed to get all but one person to disperse after the fight. But according to police, one suspect — Gabriel Padin, 21, refused to leave the area.
Police say the officer gave Padin several opportunities to leave the area and asked his friends to help out and get him out of there to calm the scene down.
But instead of calming down, officials say Padin continued to antagonize the officer, throwing fists and elbows until a bouncer at the bar came over to help.
A witness says he saw Padin reach for the officer’s belt.
The officer was able to protect his gun but arrest Padin without anyone getting hurt. But Worcester Police Sergeant Kerry Hazelhurt says even an “almost” stolen gun is far too close of a call.
“The fact that someone would actually take the opportunity…try to take the opportunity to disarm an officer is very disturbing. They really escalated a situation that shouldn’t happen in the first place.”
Officials say the officer was unharmed and was able to resume his shift. Padin is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday.
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