The Eugene Police Department was called last night after a man who was asked to leave the EMU for disorderly behavior ran from the Department of Public Safety.
Officer Chris White of EPD said Kurt Hammerstrom, age unknown, was arrested for trespassing and resisting arrest after he “became combative” with White.
White told the Emerald he arrived on campus and saw Hammerstrom, who is not a student or staff member at the University, on the balcony outside the EMU ballroom. He called for backup after officers at EPD dispatch recognized Hammerstrom’s name and said he had a history of being combative with officers. He is also on parole for burglary. The canine unit was called, but the dog did not leave the car.
When White approached Hammerstrom, he “took a fighting stance,” forcing White to use his pepper spray to subdue the man.
Hammerstrom had a gash on his left cheek and in the process of the arrest, his stitches opened up, causing him to bleed. The paramedics were called and Hammerstrom was taken to the hospital, White said.
White said Hammerstrom would have been “exactly a perfect Taser candidate,” adding that if officers had Tasers, Hammerstrom would not have been injured and would be in jail instead of being taken to the hospital and released.
When a suspect approaches an officer with his fists up, White said “He’s going to cause injury. The fact is I want to go home at the end of the night and hang out with my family … I don’t want to be injured. A Taser would have ended it like that.”
White said Hammerstrom had alcohol on his breath and told the paramedics he was supposed to be on the medication Depakote – commonly used to treat bipolar disorder – but had not taken it.
White said what a man like Hammerstrom really needs is not to deal with police but to have adequate mental health assistance.
“He needs help,” White said.
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Man arrested outside EMU for trespassing, resisting arrest
Daily Emerald
May 6, 2008
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