New Year’s Eve brawl results in five arrests
WOONSOCKET – A fight broke out when police tried to shut down a noisy holiday party, resulting in the arrest of five people early New Year’s Day
Among those taken into custody was Juan Manuel Ceron-Ortiz, 42, the host of the gathering at his first-floor apartment at 65 Chester St. The charges against him include three counts of assaulting police officers and resisting arrest.
Police said they arrived at his apartment about 3:35 a.m. Monday and found themselves in the midst of a party with loud music, yelling and about 20 guests in all, including men, women and children.
After Ceron-Ortiz identified himself as the resident of the apartment, police asked him to leave, but he allegedly began struggling. He was eventually dragged from the apartment by several officers – as others in the apartment held onto him, attempting to prevent the officers from doing so.
The officers eventually managed to remove Ceron-Ortiz from the apartment, but he allegedly continued to struggle. Ultimately, police subdued him with a blast from a Taser gun.
He was initially taken to Landmark Medical Center to have the hook-like prongs from the electronic weapon removed from his body. He was later discharged for booking at police headquarters.
All of the others who were arrested are facing charges of obstructing and resisting, partly for their alleged efforts to prevent police from removing Ceron-Ortiz from the apartment.
Maria Landa, and Orlando Ceron, both 38-year-old residents of Brooklyn, N.Y., were also charged with assaulting police, however.
Landa allegedly struck Patrol Officer Normand J. Guilbert in the face with a cell phone clutched in her fist as the officer engaged in what he described as a “tug-of-war” for control of Ceron-Ortiz with others in the apartment. Orlando Ceron allegedly assaulted an officer during a struggle.
Also arrested during the fracas were Uriel Villa, 32, of Booklyn, N.Y., and Luisa Gallcia, 38, also of 65 Chester St.
Guilbert said he was in the process of writing Ceron-Ortiz a ticket for violating the city’s noise ordinance when various members of the gathering became confrontational and combative.
“Everyone was yelling and telling Ceron-Ortiz not to listen to me,” the officer said. “While Officers (Matthew) Derham and (Christopher) Rooney were fighting to pull Ceron-Ortiz outside I was standing inside the apartment trying to remove Gallcia from the skirmish.”
“All the while,” the officers’ written report continues, “other members of the apartment were yelling at officers and trying to pull us off of Ceron-Ortiz. Officers continued to give orders for everyone to stand back and let us do our job. Multiple subjects in the apartment were involved in pulling at all three officers to attempt to get Ceron-Oritz and Gallcia freed.”