Officer Bitten During Struggle with Suspect

LONGVIEW — A man is in custody after police say he bit an officer. According to a police report, at around 12:01 Monday morning, a Longview officer stopped a vehicle for speeding in the 3100 block of South Eastman Road. Once the vehicle was stopped, the officer made contact with the driver, but police say the driver fled from the officer on foot. According to authorities, the officer caught the driver, Devarduus Hawkins, on Lilly Street. But police say as the two struggled, Hawkins managed to escape by removing his shirt. Authorities say the officer continued to chase Hawkins and captured him again in a wooded area.

Officials report that as the officer attempted to get Hawkins under control and into handcuffs, Hawkins bit the officer twice on the arms. Other officers arrived to assist, and police say Hawkins was finally handcuffed and placed under arrest. The 22-year-old Hawkins, of Longview, was booked into the Gregg County Jail for assaulting an officer, evading arrest, and possession of dangerous drugs. The officer was treated at Good Shepherd Medical Center for non-life threatening injuries.