ADAMS COUNTY, Pa. — A Maryland man allegedly violently broke into an Adams County home after crashing his car and assaulted both a homeowner and responding police officers.
According to a criminal complaint, Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) were called to a home in Huntington Township shortly after 2 a.m. on Nov. 3 for a car crash and subsequent break-in.
Police identified the suspect as Eddie Thomas Jr., 29, of Maryland, upon their arrival.
Thomas allegedly approached a house in the 400 block of Idaville-York Springs Road and knocked on the door, asking for help. When the resident opened the door a crack to speak to Thomas, the defendant reportedly forced his way into the house and immediately became violent.
Thomas had injuries to his face and allegedly said that he had other problems.
The homeowners told police that they asked Thomas to leave multiple times and called 911. When Thomas refused to leave, one homeowner said he tried to push Thomas out the front door, which caused him to become "extremely violent."
Thomas then allegedly assaulted the victim, punching him three times, pushing him into furniture and ripping his shirt off.
According to a criminal complaint, the other homeowner then got a neighbor's help to get Thomas out of the house and deadbolt the door. Once outside, Thomas allegedly violently broke down the front door using his shoulder.
He reportedly reentered the house and began cutting his wrists with knives and scissors from the kitchen. Police arrived during the rampage.
Investigators say when they arrived on scene they observed a broken doorway with chunks of the frame strewn inside the entryway and a trail of blood throughout the first floor. The criminal complaint also states that there was a large kitchen knife with blood on it near the front steps, as well as kitchen scissors broken into two pieces with blood on them in the house. In addition, troopers say a picture frame was knocked off the wall and kitchen drawers pulled out, with random items thrown on the floor.
According to police, a PSP officer gave verbal commands for Thomas to lay down on the floor with his hands behind his back. The defendant allegedly knelt on the ground and put his hands up. Police say when a trooper began to guide Thomas to the ground to arrest him, he rolled out of the front door onto the porch.
Thomas allegedly continued to not obey verbal commands and physically resisted arrest, which led to a trooper tasing him in the back. According to police, Thomas momentarily went prone, at which point another trooper unsuccessfully attempted to handcuff him, before continuing to fight against PSP officers.
According to a criminal complaint, police unsuccessfully attempted to tase Thomas twice more while he refused to listen to verbal commands.
Thomas then allegedly began to fist fight two officers and all three ended up wrestling on the ground. Troopers say they continued to give Thomas verbal commands during the entire incident, which he did not obey. PSP also says he physically resisted giving them his wrists to handcuff.
While the police and Thomas were wrestling on the ground, a third trooper arrived. According to a criminal complaint, they were able to successfully tase the defendant, which allowed the other two police officers to handcuff him.
According to troopers, while Thomas was handcuffed on the ground, he tried reaching for an officer's service pistol that had fallen off their person during the struggle. The weapon was secured before Thomas was able to grab it.
Police say one trooper ended up with injuries to his head, hip and wrists. All responding police officers and one homeowner were also directly exposed to Thomas' blood.
Thomas was charged with two counts each of burglary, aggravated assault, criminal trespass and defiant trespass, and one count each of resisting arrest, disarming an officer, simple assault, harassment and criminal mischief.
