Man who allegedly punched officer appears in court

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A Columbus Police officer is recovering after police say a suspect punched him in the face during an altercation Monday.

Police arrested and charged Dasean Barnes, 35, of Lebanon, Ohio, with assault of an officer.

According to Brian Steel, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge 9, the punch hit the officer so hard, he suffered an injury to his eye socket.

Steel said the officer is having trouble seeing but is out of the hospital and recovering at home.

“We're hoping so, outstanding doctors are going to take care of him,” Steel said. “Again, it's not only the physical injuries that our members go through. It's also the psychological injuries. Again, he's trying to take someone to custody, to get him help.”

This happened Monday around 6:40 a.m. Police said officers were called to South High Street and Sycamore Street on reports of a naked man walking down the street. Police said officers didn’t know if this was a mental health crisis at the time.

Police said when they got there, Barnes became combative. While running, police said Barnes punched one of the officers in the face.

According to Steel, Barnes punched the officer so hard that the officer immediately fell to the ground. The officer’s partner was able to use the taser on Barnes and arrest him.

“Tragic incident that came out of it shows the dangers our officers face,” Steel said. “We fully expect the courts to hold this individual accountable.”

Steel said in the moments after the assault, a good Samaritan stepped in.

“A passerby citizen stopped in instead of holding their cell phone camera and watching an officer laying there in distress,” he said. “The citizen helped him. He reassured them, ‘Hey, we have help coming. I'm going to stay with you.’ And that is, at the end of the day, that represents 99% of the community we serve. But we are definitely proud of that citizen.”

Barnes was issued a $300,000 bond in a court appearance on Tuesday.

According to court records, Barnes was arrested in January for assaulting a peace officer. According to documents, Barnes was on probation for the previous assault at the time of Monday's incident.

Columbus police said in a statement this is a perfect example of officers risking their lives to keep the city safe.