Baltimore Officers Allegedly Bitten, Elbowed In The Eye During Call For Squeegee Complaint
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison responded Wednesday morning to an incident that he says was related to a squeegee complaint in south Baltimore, in which two officers were allegedly assaulted.
"Violence against our police officers will not be tolerated. Our officers are patrolling our communities every day and continue to work hard to serve our communities." part of l Harrison's statement read.
2 Officers Assaulted During Call In South Baltimore, Police Say
Two Baltimore City police officers were assaulted Tuesday afternoon in South Baltimore, according to police, when they were called to the area of W. Patapsco Avenue and Hollins Ferry Road at around 4 p.m.
They claim one of the officers was bitten in the arm by one of the suspects while the second responding officer was elbowed in the eye.
Commissioner said the two suspects were "adults not kids" and that police will continue to engage with young men and provide information on jobs and education opportunities.
The commissioner added in a press conference that the command staff has reviewed the body-worn camera video from the incident and said the officers were doing what they were supposed to do.
In the first two months of 2020 alone, there have been multiple claims of squeegee kid incidents from drivers around the city. A woman claimed that on January 28, a squeegee kid sprayed her in the face with an unknown liquid after she refused to get her windshield cleaned in the Station North neighborhood.
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She said the squeegee kid "became enraged," though there were no other witnesses that WJZ knows of to that claim.
Just the day before, a video went viral of a squeegee kid allegedly attacking a driver in their car.
The city says they are working toward solutions. The Mayor's Office of Children and Family Success said they have engaged 84 people doing squeegee work and gotten 15 jobs, with 34 back in school.
They also have eight mentors and 20 men working to do outreach, the office. However, the executive director claims that if there's police presence at one intersection, squeegee workers just move to another.
The mayor's office said it actively trying to help workers in the area, focusing on the hours of 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
