City of Newburgh Police K9 Lee has become an internet sensation after helping his partner, Officer Roman Scuadroni, apprehend and detain a man armed with a knife. Officer Scuadroni was responding to a report about unwanted trespassing when he found 31-year-old Tony Mann pacing a driveway. A statement from the Newburgh Police Department said Mann had entered the driveway and threatened the occupant with a knife prior to Officer Scuadroni arriving at the scene.
According to Times Herald-Record, Randy Martinez was leaving his home on the 300-block of Washington Street in Newburgh, New York with a friend when he spotted a man acting strangely, dancing around, making lewd hand gestures, and appearing to be on drugs. “I rolled down the window and was going to tell him he can’t be on my property, and then he takes out his knife, and I’m just like, ‘Oh, God, no. What’s going to happen?’” Martinez recalled.
After the man, later identified as Tony Mann, threatened Martinez and his friend with a folding knife, Martinez, who was in the passenger’s seat, quickly rolled up his window and told his friend to drive off. Mann walked to the back of Martinez’s home, and Martinez’s first thought was to protect his mom, his mom’s friend, and aunt who were cooking near the backdoor. “I was so scared,” Martinez said. So, he immediately asked his friend to return to his home as he called the city police.
When Officer Scuadoni responded to that call and approached the suspect, Martinez recorded the encounter with his cell phone. Mann appeared to be under the influence of a narcotic as he stood in the driveway in front of the police SUV, waving his arms and taking a fighting stance. Then, totally unprovoked, he punched Scuadroni in the face as he tried to talk to him. The aftermath was all caught on video.
