Police Beat: Student throws ping-pong balls at cop, calls officer a "pig"

 by Matt Culbertson
 published on Wednesday, February 27, 2008

ASU Police reported the following incident Sunday:

An 18-year-old male ASU freshman was arrested early Sunday morning on the 600 block of Alpha Drive on suspicion of disorderly conduct and having alcohol in his body while being under age, police reported.

An ASU police officer on bicycle patrol was writing a citation for an alcohol violation, when the student, who was about 30 feet away, began walking toward the officer. The student raised his voice to attract the officer's attention, according to the police report.

The officer told the student to stop and to get back into the house he had come from, but the student continued to walk closer, police reported.

According to the police report, the student's walk was unsteady and he spoke loudly with slurred words.

The officer told the student three times to leave the area, but after the third verbal warning, the student yelled "F--- you, pig" and threw two ping-pong balls at the officer, according to the police report.

The officer yelled a fourth time for the student to leave, and another man came to physically restrain the student, police reported.

The man ran from police after the officer called an additional officer to the scene, who chased the student on foot. The second officer followed the student as the student jumped over a wall, according to the police report.

This officer broke his toe on his first attempt to jump over the wall in pursuit of the student, police reported.

The student was eventually caught by police and placed in handcuffs, according to the police report.

Before being transported to the Fourth Avenue Jail, the man argued with the first officer about being arrested, according to the police report.

The student said, "You f---ing arrested me for f---ing throwing ping-pong balls at you," police reported.

He added, "You have no idea how many government contacts I have — you really want to challenge my lawyer? He has a Harvard degree; this is going to be f---ing awesome, I'll be out in no time," according to the police report.

The student added, "How much did you get laid in high school, huh? None? Me, a lot," police reported.

During the drive from the ASU Police station to the Fourth Avenue Jail, the officer recorded the student calling the officer a homosexual slur and a "douche bag," according to the police report.

The student had the odor of an intoxicating beverage, police reported.

The student was also verbally abusive to several other police and detention officers, according to the police report.

Police booked the student into a separate room in the jail, where he was held on one count of disorderly conduct and one count of being under 21 with alcohol in the body.

Reported by Matt Culbertson.
Reach the reporter at: matt.culbertson@asu.edu.