SCRANTON — A Scranton man attacked his girlfriend and his mother in front of police officers as they responded to a report of an altercation, according to a criminal complaint.
Logan Anthony Toth, 18, of 118 S. Hyde Park Ave., is charged with aggravated assault of a police officer, simple assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and related charges. When approached by officers, Toth resisted arrest, attempting to strike an officer and causing a minor injury, arrest papers state.
According to the criminal complaint:
Just after midnight on Monday, officers were called to the intersection of 12th Avenue and Preston Place for an altercation. When officers arrived, they found Toth standing next to a vehicle, shoving Katherine Cerminaro.
When Cerminaro saw police, she ran to their vehicle and asked for help. As officers were speaking with Cerminaro, Toth became agitated and Joan O’Donnell, his mother, attempted to control him. He shoved his mother and struck her in the chest.
Police spotted a silver door handle in his hand which they later determined he had ripped from the vehicle.
Officers approached Toth as he continued to strike his mother and ordered him to drop the door handle and put his hands on his car. Toth complied, but when police told him to put his hands behind his back, he originally complied, but then put his hands back on the vehicle.
Officer Christopher Gnall stepped closer to Toth, intending to press him up against the vehicle.
When Gnall grabbed the back of his sweatshirt, Toth spun around and attempted to strike him.
Gnall drew his taser, but was unable to deploy it because Cerminaro had stepped in and attempted to calm Toth down.
Eventually, officers took Toth to the ground and placed him in handcuffs.
Officers noted Toth smelled like alcohol. Officers said he had dried blood around his mouth when he was arrested. Gnall had a minor injury to his right pinky finger, attributed to the struggle with Toth.
Cerminaro told officers that the two had been at a party and Toth drank a lot.
On the way home, he got upset, pulled over on the side of the road and began ripping the handles from his vehicle, while yelling, “I love you.”
O’Donnell told police she had travelled to the location after learning of the incident. She said she found her son drunk and was attempting to get him home.
Toth has a preliminary hearing scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on April 28 before District Judge Christopher J. Szewczyk. He remains at Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $20,000 bail.