[A] Burlington man has been detained after he allegedly punched several people across downtown Burlington Saturday night.
Jerry Lee Hoffman, 26, was charged with assault, disorderly conduct and unlawful mischief after police said punched three people as he ran through Burlington’s downtown Saturday night.
Officers first responded to a call at 10 p.m. for an intoxicated man who was reportedly smashing property and attempting to assault people at Ken’s Pizza, according to a press release from the Burlington Police Department.
Hoffman was gone when officers arrived, but “left a path or disorder in his wake” as he moved toward Pearl Street, police said. Neighbors pointed officers in the direction of Hoffman as they began their search.
Hoffman next went to Duino Duende, where he asked a manager to use the bathroom, which she allowed him to do. When he left the bathroom, he reportedly sat down with a table of diners he didn’t know. The manager told him that was inappropriate, to which Hoffman allegedly complained aggressively, saying he was always treated like an outsider and had nowhere to go.
The manager told officers she said something to the effect of “I’m sorry you feel that way,” and suggested some places he could go, according to the release, at which point Hoffman allegedly punched her in the head. Another staff member tried to intercede, and Hoffman allegedly struck him as well.
Hoffman then ran outside, knocking people over as he fled, according to police. He also punched another woman who happened to be walking past the Radio Bean club.
“He looked me in the eye and punched me in the head,” she told the police, who said multiple witnesses had seen the incident, according to the release.
Law enforcement arrived on the scene around 10:15 p.m. Two officers chased him and cornered him in a private driveway a few houses north of Pearl Street, police said. They pointed but did not deploy stun guns, and took Hoffman into custody as he shouted slurs and expletives at them. No force was used, according to the release.
Hoffman was transported to the University of Vermont Medical Center, where he reportedly became violent and attempted to kick firefighters. Hospital security placed Hoffman in restraints. He was medically evaluated, released, and taken to the Howard Center’s Act 1, a supervised setting where people can wait while they sober up. However, the center refused to treat him because of his behavior.
Hoffman was ultimately taken to the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility.
Police said Hoffman has one failure to appear, one felony conviction, seven misdemeanor convictions, three assaultive crime convictions, one deadly weapons charge, two violation of parole charges, and a “long history of disorder and intoxication in the Middlebury, Vermont, area.”
