A Cedar Rapids police officer is recovering after being assaulted with a chain and padlock early this morning. Officer Robert Boyer suffered bruising on his back and cuts on the back of his head.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Cristy Hamblin says it happened just before 1 a.m. as Boyer and another officer were investigating a call about suspicious activity on Cedar Rapids’ southwest side. A tip about a man pushing a cart of electronics equipment led the officers to question 32-year-old Everett Lindsay.
Hamblin says Lindsay yelled profanities at the officers and kept walking with the cart when Boyer approached him from behind in a parking lot. "As (Lindsay) was turning around, they weren’t able to see until after it was too late, but he had a cable chain and at the end of that chain was a padlock," Hamblin said. "He swung it at Officer Boyer and hit struck him in the back of the head."
Boyer was hit a few more times with the chain before the officers were able to handcuff Lindsay and take him to the Linn County Jail.
Hamblin says Lindsay is charged with assault on a peace officer and interference with official acts. The 39-year-old Boyer was taken by ambulance to St. Luke’s Hospital where he was treated and released. Hamblin says investigators are trying to determine is the merchandise in Lindsay’s cart was stolen.