YPD: Man runs from cops, spits out heroin, twice

By JOE GORMAN

jgorman@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Police say a man who ran from them Thursday tried to swallow six doses of heroin — twice.

William Sullivan, 26, of West Warren Avenue, was arraigned Friday before Judge Robert Milich in municipal court on charges of possession of heroin, resisting arrest and tampering with evidence. He is in the Mahoning County jail.

Reports said officers from the vice squad and the Community Police Unit were sent about 6 p.m. to the 500 block of West Warren Avenue to check into a complaint that a man was selling drugs from a car in the driveway of a home. As the officers pulled onto the street, reports said a car driven by Sullivan was backing out of the drive.

The car stopped in the middle of the street, and Sullivan began running away, reports said. Officers chased him on foot until he got his pants stuck while trying to climb a fence in the 500 block of West Evergreen Avenue. The officers saw him take a plastic bag out of his pocket that was later found to have six doses of suspected heroin and throw it on the ground.

The officers grabbed Sullivan but couldn’t keep him under control, and he grabbed the bag and put it in his mouth. He would not allow police to cuff his hands, and he wouldn’t spit out the bag, so after several warnings he was shot with an electronic stun weapon. He still refused to stop resisting or spit the bag, so he was stunned again and then spit the bag out, reports said.

Sullivan still struggled, however, and picked the bag up again and put it in his mouth. He had to be stunned again before he spit it back out for good and was handcuffed.

When police searched him, they found $1,404 cash and they also found two pills in the street next to his car.