A Richmond County deputy was overpowered by a teenager and tasered with his own weapon during a furious fight inside Magnolia Court Apartments in Augusta.
Deputy Nicholas Boyd was responding to a disturbance Tuesday night when suspect Antwon Tennant Jr. fled to another building at the Telfair Street apartments. The 18-year-old suspect held a foyer door on the officer, who struggled to open it. A struggle on the ground followed once the deputy got the door open.
“Deputy Boyd then applied hard-hand tactics to gain compliance,” a sheriff’s report says. “Deputy Boyd then applied a close-hand strike and an elbow to Tennant’s face.”
After striking the teen, Tennant continued to resist.
“I’m dying tonight!” the suspect yelled. “I’m dying tonight. F*** that.”
The suspect then reached for Deputy Boyd’s gun and tried to remove it from the holster located on Deputy Boyd’s right hip. The officer pulled his taser and drive-stunned Tennant in the lower abdomen. But the teen jumped up and ran way before the deputy tackled him at the entrance of Building R.
“Tennant then removed Deputy Boyd’s county-issued taser from his possession by knocking it from Deputy Boyd’s right hand,” a report says. “After removing the taser from Deputy Boyd, Tennant then grabbed Deputy Boyd’s taser from the ground and deployed it, striking Deputy Boyd in the chest and penetrating the first layer of Deputy Boyd’s vest.”
Deputy Boyd struck the teen in the face again before Deputy Raneshia Price arrived and drive stunned Tennant on the lower back.
“Tennant then rolled to his back and kicked Deputy Price in the chest, causing her to fall to the ground,” the report says. “While falling to the ground, Deputy Price deployed her taser, striking Tennant in the right arm and lower left leg, but Tennant did not relinquish Deputy Boyd’s taser. Deputy Boyd returned to his feet and applied a leg strike to Tennant’s face in an effort to get Tennant to relinquish (the) taser.”
After applying the leg strike, the deputy got the suspect to give up the taser.
“I’m done, I’m done,” the teen said, before being handcuffed by the two officers.
Tennant sustained cuts to his face that required a trip to Augusta University Medical Center. Deputy Boyd sustained lacerations on his left hand, right hand, and right elbow, the report says.
Tennant was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, taking of officer’s firearm/chemical spray/baton, possession of a firearm or knife during a crime, criminal trespassing and two counts of obstruction.
Why was he free? Tennant was arrested in December for obstruction of an officer and then again in January for felony false imprisonment and misdemeanor obstruction of an officer. He was released on bond after both of those arrests.
