Man Arrested Following Scuffle with Police at Local Bar

A Lansdale man is facing a multiple charges after he allegedly refused to leave a local bar, then wrestled with three police officers who were attempting to take him into custody.

35-year-old Robert Williams has been charged with misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest, defiant trespass, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, as well as a summary charge of public drunkenness, in connection with an incident that occurred at Panico’s Neighborhood Sports Bar on Jan. 10.

According to the complaint, police were dispatched to 530 North Cannon Avenue at 1:19 a.m. after receiving a 9-1-1 call from a confused, uncooperative male who was requesting assistance. While police were en route, police also received a call from the bar, stating there was a man who was refusing to leave.

Upon arrival, police encountered the man—identified as Williams—inside of the bar, and attempted to get him to leave, the report states. Police said that Williams stated that he had a bag on a table, but when he pointed to the table, there was nothing there, according to the report.

Williams then requested a glass of water, but when a patron provided one, he declined to drink it and instead dipped his finger in it and rubbed his lips, police said. The complaint states that while Williams was speaking to police, he appeared confused, unaware of his surroundings and continued to ask for his bag, which police said did not exist. The report states that police believed Williams was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time.

Police then gave Williams an order to leave, but he remained inside, the report states. They then escorted Williams into the vestibule area, but Williams continued to argue and lunged towards an officer in an attempt to get back inside, the report states.

As police attempted to place Williams under arrest, he reportedly tensed up and pulled his arm away, shouting “you’re scaring me,” the report states. Williams continued to yell and resist as the scuffle with police moved to the sidewalk area outside of the bar, and in an effort to prevent police from wrestling him to the ground, he allegedly grabbed and hung onto a pole, according to the report.

Three officers continued to wrestle with Williams, eventually taking him to the ground and placing him under arrest after more than two minutes of struggle, police said. Once in custody, a search of Williams produced a crack pipe with residue that field tested positive for crack cocaine, according to the report.

As a result of the incident, one officer suffered a small cut to their left wrist, and a second officer suffered minor abrasions to both knees, the report states.

Williams was arraigned later that morning by Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine, who set bail at $5,000 unsecured. He was then released from custody, and his next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on Feb. 20 at 11:15 a.m. in front of Judge Levine.

Court records indicate that prior to the incident in Lansdale, Williams was arrested on Dec. 29, 2019 in Montgomery Township on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and public drunkenness.

(Editor’s note: All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause, and reflects the point of view of the police. Should the defendant choose to issue a public statement, or is later found not guilty or has the charges dropped, we will update this article accordingly.)

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