Khan charged with off-duty assaults
Warren officer was arrested by deputies following July 4 incident
A Warren police officer was formally charged Friday with assaulting two people, including pointing a gun at one of them, on the Fourth of July at his Washington Township residence.
Anwar Khan, 48, who was off duty when he allegedly committed the acts, was arraigned on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, a fouryear felony, two counts of domestic assault, a misdemeanor, and refusal to provide a DNA sample, a misdemeanor, according to Macomb County Sheriff’s officials.
The arraignment was held in
front of Judge Denis LeDuc of 42-I District Court in Romeo.
Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer said Friday he followed protocol and placed Khan on paid administrative leave Monday and unpaid leave Thursday after the warrants were approved.
Dwyer said Khan has been “an excellent officer” in his 20 years on the force.
“Officer Khan is entitled to due process, meaning fair treatment through the judicial system,” Dwyer said, declining further comment.
Khan allegedly assaulted one of two males who were in a wooded area outside his residence about 10:45 a.m. Saturday as one of the males fled on foot, authorities said. Khan then assaulted his ex-wife, who was sleeping inside the residence, and threatened a second female, prosecutors allege. The ex-wife called 911.
The male victim told deputies Khan assaulted and pointed a gun at him. No one was injured. The two victims were checked medically at the scene, officials said.
At the Macomb County Jail, Khan refused to provide DNA for the felony charge. Friday, a $10,000 personal bond set Monday was continued by LeDuc.
Khan is scheduled for a July 21 probable-cause conference and July 28 preliminary examination.
Khan filed for divorce from his ex-wife, Melissa, in June 2019. He filed for interim custody and parenting time of the couple’s children as part of the divorce, which Macomb Circuit Court Judge Rachel Rancilio approved in January.
Khan was involved in a 2014 incident involving a former Warren police commander who was accused of threatening a potential witness in a criminal case. He witnessed the incident, and was retaliated against by the commander, who filed a false complaint against Khan with Child Protective Services.
He was also one of several defendants named in a federal lawsuit filed by DeSheila Howlett, an African-American former police officer who sued the city, police department and some officers alleging she was the victim of racial and gender discrimination, and harassment between 2006 and 2016 because the city did not require diversity training for her fellow officers. The lawsuit is pending.