ACT police officer held in headlock by father of man he was arresting 'thought he was going to die'
An ACT police officer has told a Canberra court he was terrified and feared for his life when he was attacked from behind during a routine arrest.
The ACT Magistrates Court heard police were called to Gungahlin in Canberra's north in January 2020 after reports that three men had been fighting near the shopping centre.
Detective Sergeant Jason Taylor told the court that he saw Robert Reid, 38, walking along a street with another man, with obvious facial injuries and broken teeth.
Detective Sergeant Taylor said police pulled over, were talking to Reid and things were calm until Reid's son drove up.
At that point, police decided to arrest Reid's son for drink driving.
But the court heard the younger man threatened his father, throwing his keys at him, because he was being arrested.
Body cam footage tendered to the court then shows Reid lunging at Detective Sergeant Taylor from behind, pushing him to the ground and holding him in a headlock.
"It was bloody terrifying," Detective Sergeant Taylor told the court.
The footage also shows police officers tasering Reid, to end the attack.
Reid pleaded guilty to the assault.
He told the court it had been an unusually hot day and he had been drinking at the pub prior to the incident.
The court heard he thought he had been protecting his son.
His lawyer told the court he had lived a difficult life affected by parents who were involved in alcohol and drugs.
The court also heard he had been brought up on a mission and had suffered for being a fair-skinned Indigenous child.
Detective Sergeant Taylor said he had been left with post-traumatic stress disorder, and had only been able to return to desk duties at work.
"The defendant is a coward, he attacked me when my back was turned," he said.
On Friday, Reid was sentenced to a 20-month intensive corrections order.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-31/act-police-officer-assaulted-during-gungahlin-arrest/100039110
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