An Ohio man has been charged with first-degree felonious assault after he spit bloody phlegm into a police officer’s mouth during his arrest.
Police say a Cuyahoga Community College officer had been trying to load Matthew Wenzler, 27, into the back of an ambulance just before 3am Friday when he was found on the sidewalk, unconscious, following a night of heavy drinking.
Authorities informed Wenzler he was under arrest and placed him in handcuffs after, when Wenzler attacked one of them by spitting bloody saliva into his mouth, eyes and nose.
The officer immediately went to Lutheran Hospital for treatment, where doctors informed Wenzler was a Hepatitis C carrier, according to Cleveland.com.
Matthew Wenzler, 27, who was under arrest for disorderly conduct Friday morning, is now charged with first-degree felonious assault against an officer
The drunken Avon Lake man with Hepatitis-C spit blood into the mouth of a police officer trying to load him into the back of an ambulance. He had just left Jack Casino prior, where an employee said he caused a ruckus
It seems the drunken man had been causing a ruckus just moments prior at Jack Casino in Cleveland at 100 Public Square, an employee told police.
While Wenzler remained handcuffed – initially for only a disorderly conduct charge – the rowdy individual began spitting on other officers and thrashing around in the back of the emergency vehicle.
Police were forced to place a mask over his face. They said the inside of the mask was covered in blood and saliva after.
The other officers were treated and tested at Lutheran Hospital.
Officers inside the emergency vehicle were treated and tested for the blood-borne disease at Lutheran Hospital after
The local newspaper reports that Wenzler also shouted homophobic slurs at one of the men during the unruly incident.
He also tried to attack one of the paramedics and firefighters.
Wenzler, who goes by the nickname ‘Twiz’ according to his Facebook page, is from Avon Lake, nearly nine miles west of the Cleveland border.
He is currently being held at the Cuyahoga County Jail on $75,000 bond.
Wenzler is set to appear in court Monday to answer to the charges against him.
Wenzler, who goes by the nickname ‘Twiz’ according to his Facebook page, has been jailed