Police: Man assaults officer after being confronted for shoplifting from Colorado Springs grocery store

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A man is in custody after Colorado Springs police say he assaulted an officer who had confronted him for shoplifting from a local grocery store.

According to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD), at around 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5, an officer was working an extra-duty shift at the Safeway off of North Circle Drive when a store employee identified a suspect who was stealing from the store and had stolen from the business before.

CSPD said the officer approached the suspect, identified as Matthew Reinke, to detain him, but Reinke attempted to run from the officer, leading the officer to take him to the ground.

The suspect continued to resist arrest and kept trying to flee before striking the officer in an attempt to escape, the department said. The officer sustained minor injuries and was looked at by medical personnel at the scene, and was able to continue working that day.

Reinke was booked into the El Paso County Jail on an assault charge, CSPD said.

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