From Fredericksburg Police:
Wednesday morning at approximately 6:30 a.m., a patrol officer responded to the parking lot of Walmart located at 1800 Carl D. Silver Parkway for a suspicious person going through a vehicle not belonging to him. The officer found the suspect in possession of stolen items and attempted to detain him. The suspect began walking away from the officer, then suddenly turned around and physically assaulted the officer knocking him to the ground and punching him several times in the head. Two individuals nearby saw what happened and pulled the suspect off the officer.
The suspect, identified as Joshua Duggins, 31, of Fredericksburg was then taken into police custody and arrested on charges of assault on law enforcement and malicious wounding. He remains incarcerated at the Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.
The officer, a two-year veteran of the Fredericksburg Police Department, was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for head injuries. He was released Wednesday morning from the hospital. “If the two individuals watching nearby had not selflessly taken it upon themselves to assist the officer during the attack, the injuries he sustained could have been much more severe. I can’t thank them enough for bravely putting themselves in danger. The courage seen by the officer and individuals show we are stronger when we work together,” said Police Chief Layton.
This act is the third considerable assault on a Fredericksburg Police Officer in the last 12 weeks. The first assault was on April 24th when an officer attempted to take a person to the hospital, charged the officer, and punched him in the face. The second assault was on June 11th, when an officer suffered a broken nose after serving a notice for trespassing.
