A Leesburg man was arrested after police say he threw a soda bottle at a police officer’s car while riding his bicycle.
Paul Eugene King, 42, was riding his bicycle on U.S. Hwy. 441/East North Boulevard near Mt. Vernon Road at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday when he threw a half-full 20-ounce soda bottle at a police officer sitting in a parked police vehicle. The bottle struck the patrol car with enough force to dent the rear left door, according to an arrest affidavit.
The officer alerted a nearby patrolman who approached King at the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 441 and Nichols Drive. King “immediately took an aggressive stance” and struck him with his bicycle by pushing it down a hill, then started walking toward him with clenched fists, the affidavit states. After King repeatedly ignored his demands to step back, the officer stunned him with a Taser. While the officer was attempting to detain him, King kicked him in the legs, punched him on the cheek and scratched the left side of his neck. He continued resisting and kicking after two additional officers were summoned to help.
Police say King was incoherent, very sweaty and had dilated pupils, leading them to believe he was under the influence of narcotics. During the arrest, they found a plastic bag in his wallet containing an antipsychotic pill for which police say he did not have a prescription.
King was eventually sedated by emergency medical personnel and transported to UF Health Leesburg Hospital. After his release from the hospital, he was taken to the Lake County Jail where he was held on $13,000 bond.
King is facing charges of assault, battery, criminal mischief, resisting arrest with violence and possession of drugs without a prescription. He is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 30.
