Assault suspect spat in officer's face, bit another's arm while fleeing: New Westminster police

A uniformed police officer is seen in an image from the New Westminster Police Department's Facebook page.

Vancouver -

Police in New Westminster say an officer was spat at and another was bitten by an assault suspect in the middle of an arrest.

According to the New Westminster Police Department, officers were called on Tuesday shortly after 3:30 p.m. about a domestic assault in progress. Officers said they were told the suspect fled the area after the assault.

Police quickly found the suspect on 6th Street near Seventh Avenue, but he ran from officers. NWPD said after catching up with the suspect, "a violent struggle ensued," and an officer was bitten in the arm and another was spat at in the face.

"It's difficult to put my feelings into words knowing someone hurt my colleagues when they were just doing their job," said NWPD Sgt. Sanjay Kumar in a news release.

"This individual’s actions showed disregard for the safety of the victim and our members."

NWPD said the suspect, who wasn't named, was taken into custody for assault, assaulting a police officer causing bodily harm and obstructing a police officer.

Police didn't give any details about the domestic assault but said the victim assistance unit was made available.