MAXTON, NC (WBTW) – A Maxton officer was hurt Saturday night after being attacked while responding to a call, authorities say.
Chief John Ruppe said Officer Michael Sale was responding to a 9-1-1 hangup call at the Minit Mart on Middle Street when an employee said they wanted a crowd outside to leave.
That crowd- Chief Ruppe said- did not comply with the officer’s request for them to leave. That’s apparently when one man in the crowd attacked Officer Sale.
Back-up arrived so Officer Sale could be taken to receive medical attention. Robeson County deputies also responded.
The suspect was later identified by police using surveillance video as a resident of Hope Mills, Chief Ruppe said.
Chief Ruppe said James Thompson, 34, was arrested by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department and is charged with felony assault on a government official.
He is being held on a $75,000 bond, according to Ruppe.
Officer Sale was treated at a hospital in Chapel Hill, NC.
Videos of the ordeal are circulating on social media. One video that shows the incident has been shared over 1,000 times and has over 20,000 views.
Chief Ruppe said Officer Sale is now out of the hospital and is in high spirits.
Count on News13 as we continue to follow this story.
