YOUNGSTOWN Burglary suspect charged with resisting and assault

The suspect twice was sprayed in the face with pepper spray.
YOUNGSTOWN -- A 19-year-old Evanston Avenue man was being held in the Mahoning County Jail after brawling with two city police officers, authorities said.
William Kerensky was arrested on charges of burglary, resisting arrest and two counts of assaulting a police officer.
According to reports, police went to Kerensky's house after a woman said he had stolen her purse. Officers found the purse in the yard of Kerensky's neighbor.
They found Kerensky hiding in an upstairs crawlspace, his hands stuffed down into cellulose insulation between rafters. When Kerensky would not remove his hands from the insulation, Patrolman James Pasquale sprayed him in the face with pepper spray.
Kerensky came out of the crawl space, but began shouting and fighting with Pasquale, punching the officer in the mouth, according to reports.
When Pasquale fell, Kerensky fell across his legs and grabbed the officer's gun, according to reports. An unidentified male, who also was in the house, stepped in and pulled Kerensky off Pasquale.
Kerensky was again sprayed with pepper spray, this time by Patrolman Kelly Lamb, whom he pushed down the stairs into a wall. He pushed Pasquale back into a "cluttered area" filled with chairs, drywall and other objects.
The other man and Kerensky's mother then interceded, grabbing Kerensky and pulling him to the ground, where Pasquale handcuffed him.
Evidence
Police said they confiscated Kerensky's tennis shoes as evidence because they think they matched footprints left in the snow where the purse was stolen.
Kerensky was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center to be treated for a bloody nose. Lamb was treated at Forum Health Northside Medical Center, and Pasquale was treated at Beeghly Medical Center.