Officer Walter Rivera received a dislocated ring finger and Officer Herbert Flowers a dislocated knee during the melee.
Trenton Police SUV speeds up East State Street on Wednesday, July 31, 2013. file
Michael Mancuso/The Times
To purchase this and other photos, visit http://TimesofTrenton.zenfolio.com TRENTON — Two city police officers were injured in a street brawl tonight that erupted when West Ward residents turned on them after the officers had arrested two girls for fighting, two police sources told The Times.
The sources, who did not speak on the record because they were not authorized to give out information, said Officer Walter Rivera received a dislocated ring finger and Officer Herbert Flowers a dislocated knee during the melee, where a radio call for help for Flowers brought every available officer in the city to their aid. Rivera and Flowers were in the hospital last night recovering from their injuries.
According to the sources, Rivera and Flowers were patrolling on North Hermitage Avenue near Boudinot Street around 8 p.m. when they observed two girls fighting out on the street. The females were taken into custody without incident, but after they were handcuffed the situation turned ugly, the police sources said.
At least two men approached the officers, one striking Rivera in the face. More people allegedly rushed Rivera and Flowers, causing their injuries as the crowd of undetermined size continued to strike them.
Flowers put out an “officer needs assistance” code on his police radio, which sent officers rushing to the scene. At least one arrest was made, one of the sources said.
Rivera and Flowers’ injuries come on the heels of two detectives being shot Aug. 15. Detectives Edgar Rios and James Letts were ambushed on Hobart Avenue by a domestic violence suspect who was killed by police return gunfire, authorities said. Letts was shot in the shoulder and released from the hospital the next day. Rios, however, was wounded far more seriously and remains in the hospital recovering from two gunshot wounds to the torso and extensive surgery.
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