Peabody Man Takes Salem Officer to Floor During Arrest

Salem police say a Peabody man took an officer to the floor while resisting arrest in the early hours Saturday morning.

Joseph Taylor Lewis, 23, of 35 Lynn St. in Peabody, was arrested on charges of malicious destruction of property over $250 and resisting arrest after police responded to 260 Washington St. in Salem on a report of a fight at 2:45 a.m. Saturday.

When they arrived in the lobby of the building, police said they spoke with a woman who said she witnessed a man "yelling and screaming that someone is gonna get their [expletive] kicked — he was punching the walls, kicking and he punched the window and smashed it," police said.

The woman told police the man was "bald with a a lot of tattoos and blue jeans," officers reported.

During a search of the building, police encountered a disturbance and a man fitting the witness description on the fourth floor. Police said the man, later identified as Lewis, was yelling and cursing at someone.

Police said the front door of the building was damaged and they placed Lewis under arrest on the charge of malicious destruction of property.

"While in handcuffs, he pulled his arm away…while [the officer] was holding him and stated 'get the [expletive] off of me,'" police said. When the officer grabbed the man's arm to keep control of him, Lewis tried to pull away, at which time both he and the officer went down to the floor, police said.