Hamden Police Officer Assaulted During Disturbance

A Hamden Police officer was injured Thursday morning while trying to subdue a town man who police say was causing a disturbance at his home.

Police got a report of an emotionally disturbed person at a Pearl Street home at about 11:15 a.m. Thursday morning, according to police spokesman Capt. Ronald Smith.

When officers got there, they spoke with a woman who told them that she had to run from her home because she was afraid of her son, who was acting irrationally, Smith said. As she tried to call police, her son, identified as Toby Tassmer, 49, of 134 Pearl St., threw the phone, breaking it, Smith said.

When Officers Nicholas D’Angelo and Derick Manning tried to arrest Tassmer, he "resisted and threw several punches at the officers," Smith said. One officer suffered a neck injury, Smith said, and was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital for treatment.

Officers were eventually able to subdue Tassmer, Smith said, who was also taken to the hospital for treatment.

Tassmer was charged with Assault on a Police Officer, Interfering with a Police Officer, Interfering with an Emergency Call and Disorderly Conduct. He was held in lieu of $25,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Meriden Superior Court.