Man hospitalized, charged after attempting to disarm police
An Elizabeth man was hospitalized and charged with multiple felonies early Tuesday morning following an incident during which he allegedly tried to disarm police officers.
Cumberland Township police officers found Kevin Ray Hill Jr., 26, of 1233 Cheshire Drive, in a van near the intersection of Route 21 and Glade Run Road about 5:24 a.m. Police said the van appeared to have crashed, as it was facing east and parked in the westbound lane.
When officers first made contact with Hill, he told them he didn’t feel well and he was “shaky,” according to the criminal complaint.
Hill fell to the ground before standing again and suddenly reached out to grab one of the officers’ Taser, the complaint said.
The officers grabbed his arms, pulled him away and told him to stop, but Hill reached for the officer’s firearm, the complaint said. Police handcuffed him and asked what he was doing, to which Hill replied, “I was trying to grab your gun,” the complaint said.
While trying to get him into the police car, Hill kicked the officer multiple times and tried to grab her duty belt, the complaint said. Police said that once in the car, Hill allegedly laid across the seats and started yelling, “Jesus is my savior.”
Hill escaped the vehicle, which was parked alongside a guardrail, according to the complaint.
Police said Hill had slid underneath the vehicle door and the guardrail, into the loose gravel and downhill. While sliding down the embankment, Hill told police, “I’m running,” the complaint said.
One of the officers said she was able to put her arms through Hill’s cuffed arms to pull him back up to the roadway, the complaint said. Hill then started kicking officers, pulling away, again screaming, “Jesus is my savior,” according to the complaint.
State police, EMS personnel and members of the township fire department assisted at the scene to ensure Hill arrived safely to an area hospital.
After he was medically cleared, Hill was admitted for mental health reasons, according to the criminal complaint.
Hill was charged with three counts of aggravated assault, and one count each of disarming a police officer, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and disregarding traffic lanes.