Suspect accused of threatening officers with knife
WOONSOCKET – Allegedly under the influence of hallucinogenic mushrooms, a Providence woman was taken into custody in the midst of a violent tantrum in which she threatened numerous people with a knife – most of them police officers.
Efrain B. Concepcion, 23, of 993 Manton Ave., is charged with five counts of armed assault and – for spitting at police officers – four counts of simple assault. She’s also charged with resisting arrest.
Although police list Concepcion’s reports gender
Efrain B. Concepcion as female and refer to Concepcion as “she,” they also point out that she is a biological male who identifies as a woman.
She was arrested shortly after 3 a.m. at 119 Chester St. after police responded to a report of a possible stabbing in the six-unit tenement. But police learned that Concepcion had only chased an adult male out of the house with a knife.
Later, that same man was one of two people who told police Concepcion was having “a bad trip” after they’d all consumed hallucinogenic mushrooms together, according to police reports.
When police arrived at the Chester Street residence, Concepcion’s two companions were already out of the house, and officers went inside to look for her. As police entered, they heard someone in another room yell, “Bring the weapons now!”
That’s when Concepcion allegedly appeared in a hall brandishing a knife above her head in a position that more than one police officer on the scene saw as a sign that she intended to stab them with the weapon. As Officer Dante Branconier put it, he saw Concepcion “step out of the room with a large silver knife held out over her head in a fashion that appeared to be consistent with Concepcion preparing to stab officers.”
Several officers confronted Concepcion with weapons drawn, including a rifle. The police ordered her to drop the knife, and she did, at which point officers lunged toward Concepcion and physically restrained her, or at least tried to.
Multiple police reports describe what happened next as a chaotic effort to gain control of her. One officer says she was “wildly jerking” as police attempted to handcuff Concepcion and maneuver her into a police cruiser. During the fracas, Concepcon allegedly spat at multiple police officers.
Eventually, with the assistance of Woonsocket Fire Department EMTs, they were able to get her into an ambulance. But two police officers also rode in the rescue vehicle, deeming Concepcion a continuing potential threat to WFD personnel. A spit-shield was affixed to her face during the ride.
Concepcion was transported to Landmark Medical Center, where she was placed in stretcher restraints and sedated, according to police reports. After an evaluation and treatment for a minor injury to her forehead, she was released to the custody of the WPD for processing.
The judiciary’s web site says she was released on $2,500 bail with surety following an appearance in Sixth District Court on Jan. 12, with instructions to undergo pretrial mental health monitoring. She has another hearing scheduled on May 9.