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Suspect in assault top military wrestler

Police: Assailant thought cop was in a Halloween costume

By LISA BEISEL, Staff Writer

Published 11/06/09

Courtesy photo
Walter A. Hoffman Jr., 24

It all happened in a flash.

One minute, Officer Robert Owen was about to arrest a man who allegedly had been in a fight on Market Space early Sunday morning.

The next, he was on the pavement, in the choke hold of one of the military's top wrestlers.

Though he's still recovering from his injuries in the smack down, the incident could have been a lot worse if not for the help of a passer-by and other officers summoned to the scene, the Annapolis officer said.

It was just one of 25 times officers in the department have been assaulted this year. The incident is a reminder of how officers risk getting assaulted or injured every day in the line of duty, said Ray Weaver, a city police spokesman.

Owen was responding to a call about a fight in front of the Hard Bean Cafe at about 12:30 a.m. He said that he got to the scene and saw a man and woman arguing, and then split them up, talking to the woman first.

The man started walking away. Owen, 26, asked him to sit down, and the man said "(expletive) you, you're in a costume," according to the police report. The incident took place while people were celebrating Halloween at several downtown bars and restaurants.

"Once he said that, I said, 'OK, you're under arrest,' " Owen recalled.

When Owen grabbed the man's left wrist to put him under arrest, the man broke away, got behind

Owen and put him in a choke hold.

"I didn't expect that at all. It came out of nowhere," he said.

The man lifted the officer off the ground and slammed them both down onto the pavement. Still in the choke hold, Owen began to feel light-headed. He knew from his police training that once a person gets light-headed, he only has a few seconds before he passes out.

"At that point I knew I was in real trouble," he said.

He hit a button on his radio to call for backup and two other officers quickly came to his aid. The other officers, along with a civilian passer-by, were able to pull the man off Owen, though the man continued resisting arrest.

Robert Pastrana, an ex-Marine who lives in Annapolis, happened to see the alleged fight with the woman and helped police get the man into handcuffs.

Pastrana said there was no question in his mind that Owen was a legitimate police officer and not someone in a Halloween costume. He was in a T-shirt that said police on the front, but he had a belt with a holster and police-issue weapons on it, Pastrana said.

When the backup officers arrived, Pastrana told them he was there to help them and helped pull one of the "towering" man's wrists behind his back. This wasn't easy, he said. "It was just kind of a three- or four-minute wrestling match …" said Pastrana, who is also the father of local freestyle motocross star Travis. "The guy had no quit in him at all."

Police arrested Walter A. Hoffman Jr., 24, of Louisiana and charged him with first- and second-degree assault on Owen, assault on the woman he allegedly was fighting with, resisting arrest and related charges, police said.

According to the U.S. Air Force Web site, Hoffman is on the All Air Force Wrestling Team and competed this spring in the 84 kg or 185 pound weight class.

Reached by phone yesterday, he declined to comment. Police said he was originally identified through his military ID and that his chain of command was notified of the arrest.

Hoffman is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 30, court records show.

The woman in the initial argument told police she had been walking along Market Space when the suspect approached her, knocked off her hat and threw an inflatable costume accessory at her. They argued, and the man pushed her to the ground, police said.

After the arrest, Owen was taken to Anne Arundel Medical Center for treatment. He had a large bruise and scrape near his elbow, an injury to his knee and bruising on his neck. His throat still hurts when he talks, he said.

"This is simple stuff - Officer Owen was doing his job protecting the public, while the other guy was out of bounds and a threat to public safety," city police Chief Michael A. Pristoop said in a statement.

Owen said he won't soon forget the assault. The four-year veteran of the police force said he is likely be more defensive when approaching suspects and might even take some self-defense classes to better prepare himself for such situations.

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Out of Control - 2009-11-09 14:21:30

The article said he knoocked off a woman's hat, threw something at her and then knocked her to the ground. This apparently was followed with verbal assault. The assailant is a 185 lb. trained wrestler. He was cognitive enough to perform a spin move, place the officer in a chocker hold and slam him to the ground. It took 3-4 people to get him under control. Sorry, he deserved to be charged and should face his day in court. Hoffman was not charged with being drunk. Intoxication does not excuse criminal behavior.

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harry trampolini - severna park, MD - Karma: Neutral

drunken debacle - 2009-11-08 16:52:06

First and foremost, Hoffman's a moron and a donkey for being so infantile with the woman and assaulting her.
However, I'm with Frenaye in that this donkey also really could have mistaken the officer for a bar patron in costume. The article doesn't say how Owen went about attempting to clarify that he truly was law enforcement. Furthermore, considering the state the donkey was in - was it smart to physically address him until the officer actually had back up? He posed no threat to anyone else in the area at the moment. Yes, according to the officer he was attempting to leave the scene - but really? Tell the victim to stay where she is and keep sight of the assailant until he actually has a lucid moment and realizes you're a cop or you have another officer to assist you. Patience goes a long way...and won't cost taxpayers money for the "injuries in the smack down", as the author put it.

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T Jackson - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

BIll Raye - 2009-11-07 20:57:51

It is illegal and impolite. However, if Hoffmann believed it was a costumed partier and he grabbed him (likely grabbed his arm and tried ot pull it behind his back) he will do what he is trained to do.

As to why it took 4...well, once it got going I imagine the adrenaline took over.

Hoffmann is an ass for hitting a woman. But I also have to say on that ONE night of the year, I can see how it happened.

Call it disorderly conduct or public drunkenness, and the assault and resisting charges will be dropped.

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John Frenaye - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

rediculous - 2009-11-07 16:36:52

As a person that witnessed this event I would completely agree that this altercation would be settled much more quickly with the aide of a taser. I'm also curious to how much of the incident the offender even remembers given that he wouldn't let go of the officer or give up to 4 officers wrestling/beating him and telling him to stop resisting.
At first glance i thought it was a drunken wrestling match between a couple costumed characters until 3 other officers in matching gear rushed to the scene.

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Ttoe C - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral

Tasers - 2009-11-07 14:49:16

Some county officers have them. The demand is greater than the funds. They get trained and when one becomes available, they get them.

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Stephanie F - , - Karma: Excellent

Red herrings - 2009-11-07 01:44:12

JR, I don't think any reasonable person needs an explanation of why police are issued weapons or seriously asks "why there are police involved shootings" in a general sense. But I think people might ask why there are so *many* shootings lately in Anne Arundel County and question the circumstances of particular shootings of unarmed people and the like. ... As to those who said Annapolis police need to be issued Tasers, there's a proposed bill to allow exactly that, which the Capital wrote about a few weeks ago. Don't county police already have them?

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Paul Wilson - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral

Comment removed by HometownAnnapolis staff. - 2009-11-06 22:18:30

Staff message: Why is this comment hidden?

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- Karma: Neutral

Uhmmm, John - 2009-11-06 20:26:28

Correct me if I'm wrong, but even if the officer had been a person wearing a costume, isn't it still against the law, or at least sorta impolite, to body slam him into the ground and choke him...still an assault, right?

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Bill Raye - Pasadena, Md - Karma: Neutral

A different point of view - 2009-11-06 19:15:38

Certainly assaulting an officer is bad news and wrong. No argument there. Shoving a woman to the ground is also a no no in my book.

I am not making excuses for Hoffmann, but--it was Halloween and the officer appeared to be "partially" uniformed. The article says it was a t-shirt that said POLICE across the chest. These are readily available anywhere and given that it was Halloween, it COULD have been a costume.

Couple that with the time of night and a bit of alcohol and is someone able to discern "police issued weapons" from perhaps some fake costume props?

And now this guy is in the military and a trained fighter, I imagine it was only instinct.

Had there been a fully uniformed officer or perhaps a patrol car at the initial incident, the outcome may have been far different.

My guess is that charges will be dropped or he will get a slap on the wrist and it will be called an unfortunate accident.

I do hope Officer Owens is recovering and I am glad that it ended with only a few people with relatively minor injuries--it could have been a lot worse.

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John Frenaye - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

Coward - 2009-11-06 15:26:30

I'm dismayed that such a large man, trained by the military and trained as an athlete to use his size and strength, would use it to resist arrest, but even more disgusting is that he allegedly used it to harrass a young lady. If the reporting is accurate, it seems that it was used in a threatening manner, as he pushed her to the ground. That in my mind, would have been enough reason to tase him! But thanks to the former Marine who aided in subduing Mr Hoffman; only wish he would've applied a couple of quick knees or elbows in the process!

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Call Me Ish-Email - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

Thats why they issue a weapon - 2009-11-06 14:21:05

And people want to question why there are police involved shootings. All police should carry tasers and if that doesn't subdue a criminal then use one of the other options in your belt

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J R - Gambrills, md - Karma: Neutral

Drunk + stupid = arrest - 2009-11-06 13:46:57

Thank you for your service, Ofc. Owen. I hope your one the mend and able to return to work when you are ready.

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Jeff O - Pasadena, MD - Karma: Excellent

Hoffman - 2009-11-06 13:36:28

Sounds like stupidity fueled by alcohol. Sounds like Annapolis police need to be issued tasers, so they don't have to wrestle with these idiots that resist arrest.

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Rick M - Laurel, Md - Karma: Excellent