Suspect Charged After Choking Cop

OCEAN CITY — A Parsonsburg man faces first-degree assault charges this week after allegedly choking an Ocean City police officer who was attempting to stop him from walking in traffic.

Around 5:45 p.m. last Saturday, an officer was patrolling in the area of Coastal Highway and 71st Street when he observed an individual, later identified as Joshua Bell, 21, of Parsonsburg, walking in the bus lane along the busy highway at that time of day. The officer was stopped at a red light when he observed Bell walk out into the highway as the light changed to green.

The officer then conducted a pedestrian stop on Bell, who was walking into the highway with traffic flowing in both directions. According to police reports, the officer instructed Bell to walk back to the sidewalk at 70th Street, but Bell was uncooperative and refused to move out of the roadway. Bell stood in the northbound lanes of Coastal Highway at 70th Street, causing three vehicles to stop abruptly to avoid hitting the suspect and the officer.

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