Norris man allegedly fights officers, grabs lieutenant’s gun; now faces charges

NORRIS—A Norris man who allegedly fought public safety officers, resisted arrest, and tried to grab a lieutenant’s gun from its holster on Thursday is facing charges of aggravated assault and resisting arrest, authorities said.

Donald Howard Berry Jr., 25, has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault and two count of resisting arrest, according to court records.

The Norris Department of Public Safety responded to a reported disturbance on Oak Road on Thursday afternoon. Berry’s stepsister told police that he was upstairs in a bedroom behaving erratically and possibly trying to harm himself, arrest warrants said.

Norris Officer Rick Roach and Lieutenant Carl White entered the home and made contact with Berry, the warrants said. But after the bedroom door was opened, Berry charged White and grabbed him around the waist, according to the warrants.

Roach tried to restrain Berry, but he resisted the officer and the lieutenant, the warrants said.

“I, along with Lieutenant White, gave the defendant (Berry) several verbal commands to stop physically resisting and fighting,” Roach said in the warrants. “The defendant, while resisting, pushed himself and Lieutenant White down the set of stairs to the residence.

“I went down the stairwell to assist Lieutenant White. The defendant continued to resist and fight both myself and Lieutenant White at the bottom of the stairs.”

Berry continued to ignore verbal commands by both officers and continued resisting and fighting through the open front door and then outside, Roach said.

Roach said he and White tried to restrain Berry while he was on the ground. But Berry tried to get White’s department-issued gun from its holster, Roach said.

“I was able to restrain the defendant’s right arm and remove his hand from Lieutenant White’s firearm,” Roach said. “At this time, both myself and Lieutenant White gained control of the defendant and restrained him with handcuffs.”

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department also responded to the scene.

Berry remained jailed at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Friday afternoon.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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