04/26/17
WARNER TOWNSHIP — Larry Sevenski, an 83-year-old man, has been charged with “resisting” after suffering a broken arm.
The incident occurred on St Patrick’s Day.
Sevenski has owned a local bar for over 50 years, and on that night he was informed that police were parked outside of his business in order to target anyone who was leaving intoxicated.
Sevenski was evidently not happy about this, and confronted the police about it.
Cop Block reports the following:
Artfitch testified that Sevenski walked quickly toward his patrol vehicle while pointing and shouting, “I’ve got a bone to pick with you.” Sevenski then ignored orders to return to his car and walked directly at the trooper, Artfitch said.
During the preliminary hearing, Artfitch maintained that he put his hand out and pushed on Sevenski’s chest in attempt to walk him back to his vehicle. He testified that he asked Sevenski if he had any weapons and said the elderly man responded, “I wish I had one.”
According to 28-year-old Artfitch, he then grabbed Sevenski’s left hand in order to pat him down and said Sevenski “squeezed” his hand “very tightly” and reared his right arm “back in a punching position.” That’s when a fearful Artfitch said he used an arm bar take-down on the old man.
The move left Sevenski’s nose bleeding and glasses chipped, presumably from his face smashing into the ground. Artfitch testified that he and his partner handcuffed Sevenski as he was screaming in pain that he had a broken arm. An ambulance was then called and EMTs began administering first aid to the man.
Sevenski has taken to the hospital for surgery, where eight pins were placed into his elbow after it was shattered in the altercation.
His nose was also broken.
“The handcuffed me and they hurt me very bad… I just don’t know what I did wrong,” says Sevenski.
The police claim that they did not do anything wrong.
Unfortunately, the camera in their patrol vehicle had a “technical failure” which means that footage of the incident will not be provided.
The camera managed to fail to record the actual altercation, but did capture what was happening once the paramedics were treating Sevenski for injuries.