A Shelton man Tuesday allegedly head-butted a man, threatened his family members with a baseball bat, then hid in a downtown apartment until he was found and subdued by the Shelton police canine unit, according to police.
Matthew Fitzgerald, 27, was charged with second-degree assault, risk of injury to a minor, breach of peace and interfering with a police officer for the incident, which took place at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, Detective Ben Trabka said Fitzgerald assaulted a 46-year-old man on Kneen Street. Fitzgerald broke the man’s nose after hitting him in the face with his own head, Trabka wrote in the press release.
He then threatened the man’s family members with a baseball bat, and then fled into a multi-family house on Howe Avenue, according to police.
Police entered the apartment with their police dog, thinking the man was holding the apartment resident against her will, Trabka wrote.
But it turned out the woman, June Morrow, 51, was helping Fitzgerald hide, Trabka said.
Trabka said Fitzgerald wouldn’t comply with officers trying to arrest him, so they sent the dog to subdue him. Fitzgerald suffered “several bite injuries” from the incident, and was later treated at police headquarters.
Police arrested Morrow and charged her with interfering with a police officer and risk of injury to a child. There was an infant in the apartment at the time of the incident.
Morrow was scheduled to appear at Superior Court in Derby on Feb. 28.
Ftizgerald was held in custody overnight and was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon.
Police believe Fitzgerald had previously assaulted the victim’s son.
