A Pine Bluff Police officer who had used his taser against a man who ran from him Tuesday ended up having to fight the man and got tased twice himself before other officers arrived and took the man into custody.
According to a probable cause affidavit from Pine Bluff Police Department Detective Chris Wieland, officers were searching for Demarlone Bell, 29, who was involved in an alleged disturbance and was listed as an absconder when Officer Donald Griffin saw Bell in the 1400 block of Cherry Street.
Bell ran and Griffin used his taser, causing Bell to fall to the ground. When Griffin tried to handcuff Bell, Bell took the taser away and shot Griffin in the left forearm before both men could get to their feet. When they did, Bell tased Griffin a second time on the left side of his neck before other officers were able to restrain Bell and place handcuffs on him.
According to the affidavit, Bell told detectives he could not remember anything about the incident, and didn’t remember fighting the police officer or taking the officer’s taser.
Jefferson County District Judge Kim Bridgforth set a $10,000 bond for Bell after ruling prosecutors have probable cause to charge him with second-degree battery. Bell said he would hire his own attorney.