An on-duty Montgomery County, Maryland police officer is recovering after he was attacked while waiting for dinner at a Chipotle Mexican Grill in Rockville, Maryland on Thursday.
Montgomery County police said the officer was waiting in-line at the restaurant on Shady Grove Road in the Falls Grove area shortly before 7 p.m. when Nyziere London, 21, walked up to the officer and punched him twice in the face.
Investigators say London did not say a word and was unprovoked when he began hitting the officer, who is only being identified as a male officer with 26 years on the force.
London, originally from Coatesville, Pennsylvania, continued punching the officer in the body while the officer tried to arrest him. A female officer, who was paying for her food at the time, heard the commotion and came over to help the officer, police said.
Additional officers soon arrived, and London was arrested. He has been charged with second-degree assault and resisting arrest. London is being held without bond.
“Police work can often put officers in harm’s way, but I’m saddened that this unprovoked attack occurred while this officer was attempting to simply grab a quick bite to eat during his shift.” Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones said of the attack in a statement.
He added, “this is another danger to our profession.”
Investigators do not believe London or the officer he’s accused of hitting had any other previous interaction.
According to police, the officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries from the attack.
Below is a map of where the incident took place:
