Police: Officer injures finger in arrest

A 16-year-old from Lakeview, who police said tried unsuccessfully to break into two vehicles not far from his home Tuesday afternoon, was arrested on charges including resisting arrest after police said he punched officers trying to arrest him, dislocating an officer's finger.

James Wells-Jones of Scaneateles Avenue was charged with second-degree assault, resisting arrest, attempted petty larceny and two counts of third-degree criminal trespass, police said.

He is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday in First District Court in Hempstead.

Nassau County police said a witness saw Wells-Jones attempting to break into the cars on Melvin Avenue just before 4 p.m. Tuesday. Fifth Precinct officers responding to the scene saw Wells-Jones flee, but later found him hiding by a set of steps in the rear yard of a house on the block.

Police said as the officers attempted to arrest Wells-Jones, he "became violent and began flailing his arms and punching the officers to avoid arrest."

During that struggle, one of the officers suffered a finger dislocation, police said.