Behind the Badge
A male transient is facing several charges for lunging at Garden Grove police officers after he tried to steal a cell phone from a man he punched in the face.
Justin Michael Gavin, who turns 23 today (Monday, May 9), was arrested after the incident around 5 p.m. Sunday, May 8, the GGPD said in a news release Monday.
Police were dispatched at 4:58 p.m. Sunday to a Rite Aid Pharmacy at Harbor Boulevard and Garden Grove Boulevard regarding an attempted robbery.
According to the news release, the suspect — later identified as Gavin — tried to steal a cell phone from a man. The man resisted, was punched in the face, but he manage to hold on to his cell phone.
The suspect then ran across the street to a Wells Fargo bank.
When officers found him and attempted to detain him, the suspect became verbally and physically uncooperative, the news release said.
Gavin “lunged at the officers and began fighting,” the release said.
More GGPD cops arrived on scene and took Gavin into custody.
The victim who was punched in the face sustained minor bruising to his left eye, and one of the officers ended up with a minor injury to his left wrist.
Gavin was booked into Orange County Jail on suspicion of attempted robbery, felony resisting a police officer, and assault and battery on a police officer.
