Police: Man Arrested After Brawling With Cop In Supermarket

A man charged with violently resisting arrest in a supermarket on Wednesday had to be subdued by pepper spray and leg irons, a New London police officer says in an arrest report.

Vernon Walter Henry, 27, was charged Wednesday with attempt to commit first-degree assault, assault on a police officer, interfering with police, and second-degree breach of peace. Henry’s mother, 45-year-old Sandra Greguoli of 32 Hawthorne Ave., was also arrested in the incident and charged with criminal trespassing and interfering with police.

Henry was arrested in an unrelated incident on Ledyard Street three days later and charged with second-degree breach of peace, according to the New London Police Department arrest log.

Officer Adam Litwin says in an affidavit that the incident occurred at about 5 p.m. on Wednesday at Shop Rite. Litwin said a 44-year-old loss prevention officer at the store recognized Henry’s girlfriend as a person banned from the store. The loss prevention officer said the two argued with him and left the store after he tried to detain them.

Litwin said the loss prevention officer saw Henry and Greguoli in the store after Litwin arrived. Litwin said they started accusing the loss prevention officer of taking a Visa card from Henry during the earlier incident, and that Henry twice chest bumped the loss prevention officer and started swearing at him after the loss prevention officer denied the accusation.

Litwin said Henry got into a fighting stance and shouted at him after Litwin intervened. He said he pushed Henry against a wall and put his hands behind his back, but Henry began resisting when Litwin started to get his handcuffs.

Litwin said a violent struggle ensued as Henry continued to resist arrest. He said he bent Henry over a checkout lane’s conveyor belt in an attempt to subdue him and called for backup, and that he and Henry fell to the ground twice during the struggle.

At one point, Litwin said Henry was reaching for his service firearm and that he was afraid he would try to use it against him or shoppers in the store. Litwin put an arm around Henry’s neck and later kicked him in the chest so they would be separated before spraying him in the face with pepper spray.

Litwin said he was able to get Henry in handcuffs after using the spray, but that Henry continued to struggle afterward. Once more officers arrived, Henry was put in leg irons and taken by a New London Fire Department ambulance to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital for treatment of the pepper spray effects.

Greguouli was arrested after she was repeatedly told to leave while trying to approach Henry as he was being arrested, according to the report.

Litwin said he had some soreness and muscle fatigue as a result of the incident. He said he thought Henry was under the influence of PCP and would have had increased strength and decreased pain sensitivity.

Henry continued to be hostile while in the NLPD’s holding tank and at one point wrapped his hand in his shirt and stood in a fighting stance as if to attack any officer entering the room, according to the report. Litwin said police responded by confiscating Henry’s clothing at Taser-point.

Henry was initially held on a $100,000 cash or surety bond, which was reduced to $50,000 after his first appearance in the G.A. 10 Court.

Henry’s criminal history in Connecticut includes a 2010 felony conviction of possession of controlled substance with intent to sell and misdemeanor convictions of assault, reckless endangerment, breach of peace, and possession of a controlled substance.