Cops: Freeport man charged after assaulting officer

A Freeport man was arrested and charged early Sunday after assaulting a Nassau police officer in Wantagh attempting to break up a fight involving the suspect, authorities said.

Nassau police took Jerry Velasquez, 26, into custody after they responded to a call shortly after midnight on Sunrise Highway near Beech Street. When officers arrived, they found two men engaged in a fight.

Velasquez ignored cops' verbal commands to stop fighting, police said, and an officer attempting to break it up injured a shoulder, authorities said.

Officers used an electronic control device to subdue Velasquez, according to police. The injured officer and Velasquez were both taken to hospitals for assessment and treatment.

Velasquez was charged with second-degree assault, second-degree obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct. He was released with non-monetary conditionsd and his arraignment was adjourned until March 25 at 9 a.m. at First District Court in Hempstead, online records show. 

By Vera Chinese

vera.chinese@newsday.com@VeraChinese

Vera Chinese covers Suffolk County government and politics. She joined Newsday in 2017 after working as an editor for the East End lifestyle publication northforker and a general assignment reporter for the New York Daily News.