Niagara Falls Police were parked at Hometown Grocery on Pierce Avenue doing a premises check when they observed a suspicious black male walking back and forth nearby. As officers pulled out of the parking lot the male looked at police, turned in the opposite direction, and began walking away on the sidewalk. He soon entered the roadway and proceeded to the middle of a two-way road. He stood there for several seconds figuring out which direction he wanted to walk.
Officers pulled over to the side of the road next to the male to speak with him about failing to use the designated cross walk area. Officers also wanted to see if he was in the “right state of mind.”
As officers approached, they has the male to walk in front of the vehicle as he was continuing to walk away. His body language portrayed that he was going to run or flee. Officers asked the male to put his hands on the hood because his movement was making officers “uncomfortable.”
The male turned sidewalks and began running. He stripped several layers of clothing off including a jacket, sweatshirt, and t-shirt in order to run faster. While fleeing, he jumped multiple fences and closed a gate behind him preventing officers from taking him into custody.
Officers ultimately located the male and he was placed under arrest for failing to use a sidewalk and obstruction of governmental administration. No further information is available at this time.
'Suspicious black male' Strips off Clothes while Fleeing Officers