UPDATE:
An off-duty police officer was brutally attacked in Lancaster County after he tried to help someone who he had accidentally hit with his car. We are told he almost needed reconstructive facial surgery.
:
This vicious attack against the officer all took place in front of his family.
Brandon Peffer is the man who attacked officer John Michener. He currently in the Lancaster County Prison on $125,000 bail and faces many charges, including assault and public drunkenness.
The incident happened Thursday night when Cpl. John Michener of the Southern Regional Police was returning home from his grandmother's birthday party. He was with his mom, wife and three kids.
When he approached the intersection of New Danville Pike and Brenneman Road, he came across a group of people memorializing their friend who had just died last month in a motorcycle crash.
One person was doing burnouts and created a huge plum of smoke. As Michener was driving through the smoke, he hit someone.
He pulled over and identified himself as an officer. That’s when Peffer attacked him, fracturing his face and knocking teeth out. The officer’s family watched it all.
“When a police officer puts that uniform on and walks out that door every night, the family knows we are taking our lives everyday and placing them into danger,” stated Southern Regional Police Chief John Fiorill. “Now this has magnified that feeling for this family because they have witnessed what can happen to a police officer.”
Cpl. Michener is expected to be off the job for three months. But since he was not on duty when this happened his leave will not be paid.
The chief is trying to get that changed since Michener did identify himself as an officer. As for the man who the officer hit with his car, he is in critical but stable condition at Lancaster General.
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Off-duty police officer, John Michener (Cpl. Southern Regional Police Dept), was traveling southbound in his personal vehicle on New Danville Pike just north of the Breneman Rd intersection. Michener's vehicle was occupied by his wife, mother, and three children. Michener observed a large crowd of people congregated along the east side of the roadway at a roadside memorial for an individual who had recently been killed in a vehicle accident.
Members of the congregated crowd were paying homage to the killed individual as well as doing "burn outs" with a car in the northbound portion of the roadway causing large amounts of smoke in the area. The smoke in the area caused by the "burn outs" caused the visibility in the area of the roadway to lessen.
As Michener slowed and approached the vehicle and crowd he spotted Ross J Novack, standing in the southbound lane of travel filming the vehicle doing burn outs. Michener immediately applied his brakes but was unable to stop his vehicle and struck Novack. Michener stopped his vehicle in the southbound lane of travel.
Before he was able to exit his vehicle, Michener was approached and confronted by Bronson M. Peffer at his door side. Michener related to Peffer that hew as an off-duty police officer and certified in first aid and CPR and wanted to assist Novack who was lying on the roadside after being struck. Peffer then backed up and Michener exited his vehicle in an attempt to provide emergency medical assistance to Novack. After Michener exited his vehicle, Peffer who was then behind Michener, sucker punched him from behind, striking him numerous times in the facial area. During the assault Michener repeatedly identified himself as an off-duty police officer and wanted to assist Novack.
An unknown number of individuals who were gathered at the roadside memorial observed the assault taking place and pulled Peffer from Michener to disengage him from the assault.
Peffer was found to be under the influence of alcohol.
The Pennsylvania State Police was called to the scene to investigate the crash.
Michener sustained numerous serious facial fractures, as well as damage to his teeth.
Peffer was charged by the Southern Regional Police Dept. with Aggravated Assault, Disorderly Conduct, Harassment, and Public Drunkenness. Peffer was arraigned before Honorable MDJ Russell and remanded to the Lancaster County Prison on $125,000 unsecured bail.
An off-duty police officer was brutally attacked in Lancaster County after he tried to help someone who he had accidentally hit with his car. We are told he almost needed reconstructive facial surgery.
:
This vicious attack against the officer all took place in front of his family.
Brandon Peffer is the man who attacked officer John Michener. He currently in the Lancaster County Prison on $125,000 bail and faces many charges, including assault and public drunkenness.
The incident happened Thursday night when Cpl. John Michener of the Southern Regional Police was returning home from his grandmother's birthday party. He was with his mom, wife and three kids.
When he approached the intersection of New Danville Pike and Brenneman Road, he came across a group of people memorializing their friend who had just died last month in a motorcycle crash.
One person was doing burnouts and created a huge plum of smoke. As Michener was driving through the smoke, he hit someone.
He pulled over and identified himself as an officer. That’s when Peffer attacked him, fracturing his face and knocking teeth out. The officer’s family watched it all.
“When a police officer puts that uniform on and walks out that door every night, the family knows we are taking our lives everyday and placing them into danger,” stated Southern Regional Police Chief John Fiorill. “Now this has magnified that feeling for this family because they have witnessed what can happen to a police officer.”
Cpl. Michener is expected to be off the job for three months. But since he was not on duty when this happened his leave will not be paid.
The chief is trying to get that changed since Michener did identify himself as an officer. As for the man who the officer hit with his car, he is in critical but stable condition at Lancaster General.
___________________________________________
Off-duty police officer, John Michener (Cpl. Southern Regional Police Dept), was traveling southbound in his personal vehicle on New Danville Pike just north of the Breneman Rd intersection. Michener's vehicle was occupied by his wife, mother, and three children. Michener observed a large crowd of people congregated along the east side of the roadway at a roadside memorial for an individual who had recently been killed in a vehicle accident.
Members of the congregated crowd were paying homage to the killed individual as well as doing "burn outs" with a car in the northbound portion of the roadway causing large amounts of smoke in the area. The smoke in the area caused by the "burn outs" caused the visibility in the area of the roadway to lessen.
As Michener slowed and approached the vehicle and crowd he spotted Ross J Novack, standing in the southbound lane of travel filming the vehicle doing burn outs. Michener immediately applied his brakes but was unable to stop his vehicle and struck Novack. Michener stopped his vehicle in the southbound lane of travel.
Before he was able to exit his vehicle, Michener was approached and confronted by Bronson M. Peffer at his door side. Michener related to Peffer that hew as an off-duty police officer and certified in first aid and CPR and wanted to assist Novack who was lying on the roadside after being struck. Peffer then backed up and Michener exited his vehicle in an attempt to provide emergency medical assistance to Novack. After Michener exited his vehicle, Peffer who was then behind Michener, sucker punched him from behind, striking him numerous times in the facial area. During the assault Michener repeatedly identified himself as an off-duty police officer and wanted to assist Novack.
An unknown number of individuals who were gathered at the roadside memorial observed the assault taking place and pulled Peffer from Michener to disengage him from the assault.
Peffer was found to be under the influence of alcohol.
The Pennsylvania State Police was called to the scene to investigate the crash.
Michener sustained numerous serious facial fractures, as well as damage to his teeth.
Peffer was charged by the Southern Regional Police Dept. with Aggravated Assault, Disorderly Conduct, Harassment, and Public Drunkenness. Peffer was arraigned before Honorable MDJ Russell and remanded to the Lancaster County Prison on $125,000 unsecured bail.