New Haven Man Allegedly Tries to Bite Officer During Arrest

On April 19, the North Branford Police Department arrested Melquiel Rivera, 18, of Stiles Street, New Haven, for charges relating to a stolen vehicle and harassment. After an investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for the harassment charges

Detectives located Rivera on Fulton Street in New Haven and attempted to arrest Rivera, however, Rivera reportedly began to struggle with the detectives and was non-compliant. According to the NBPD, Rivera needed to be restrained by both detectives in order to be handcuffed.

During the arrest, Rivera allegedly attempted to bite one of the detectives on the leg and then, once placed in the police vehicle, began kicking the window in an attempt to break it. Due to his combativeness, New Haven Police Department’s transport van was requested to transport Rivera to the NBPD.

Rivera was charged with third-degree larceny, operating a motor vehicle without a license, traveling too fast for conditions and second-degree harassment. He was held on a $12,500 bond and brought for arraignment on April 20.

The charges stemmed from an incident on Sept. 21, 2011 when Rivera was said to be the operator of a vehicle involved in an accident on Walnut Lane in Northford in which he allegedly lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a utility pole.

During the investigation, it was discovered that the vehicle had been stolen out of the City of New Haven. It was also determined that Rivera did not possess a Connecticut driver’s license.  Due to his injuries, he was transported to the hospital and an arrest warrant was obtained.

Rivera was also the suspect in the harassment of a Northford resident. 

NBPD Press Release