Iowa man is charged with assaulting Grandview police officers during violent arrest

A 42-year-old Iowa man has been charged with assaulting three police officers in Grandview early Tuesday.

Chad A. Knight is accused of threatening officers with a knife and continuing to fight even after he was hit with a stun gun multiple times.

Knight, of Des Moines, was stopped by police investigating a suspected vehicle burglary in the 12200 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard, according to court documents. A security guard told police that a man in a black Chevrolet Malibu with no license plates might be trying to break into a vehicle in an Army recruiting center parking lot.

When Grandview police officer Stephany Jones stopped a car matching that description, Knight stepped out of the car and confronted her. Ignoring commands to show his hands and get back in the car, Knight walked toward Jones and leaned against her patrol vehicle, saying, “I don’t think so,” according to a detective’s statement.

Jones backed up several steps, holstered her handgun and drew her stun gun, according to police. When another officer arrived and Knight turned away, Jones hit him with a stun gun, knocking him down. But within seconds, Knight stood up again.

Another officer hit Knight with a stun gun, knocking him down once more. But Knight “ripped the cords of the probes off and got to his feet,” according to a detective’s report.

Knight pulled a knife out of his pocket and paced on the sidewalk, keeping officers at bay for a short time until he tried to approach a patrol vehicle and an officer punched him in the head, knocking him down for a third time.

Knight continued to struggle. He allegedly punched one officer in the head. As officers subdued him, he allegedly tried to take weapons from Jones’ duty belt. Knight lifted Jones up and slammed her on the concrete, according to a detective.

Eventually, Knight was arrested. One officer went to a hospital with a broken right hand. Jones suffered some “scrapes and bruising,” according to police.

A detective who interviewed Knight at the Grandview jail wrote that Knight said he pulled the knife because officers drew guns on him. Knight said he approached the officers with the knife “probably because they tased him.”

Knight remained at the Grandview jail on Tuesday. Prosecutors requested a bond of $100,000.

This story was originally published September 22, 2015 at 6:59 PM with the headline "Iowa man is charged with assaulting Grandview police officers during violent arrest."