BURLINGTON — The Burlington Police Department received multiple 911 calls regarding a naked male assaulting people between the area of lower Church Street and Main Street.
The incident took place on Tuesday at around 4:15 p.m. The first officer arrived on the scene and observed a male, naked from the waist down in 20° temperatures, fighting citizens and speaking incoherently.
As the officer approached, the suspect, identified as Charles Root, 43, turned and immediately assaulted the officer by punching him in the face with both hands. Assisted by a citizen, the officer took Root into custody, police say. Root also spat at officers while in custody.
The Burlington Fire Department responded to evaluate Mr. Root’s altered mental state and transported him to UVMMC.
Officers interviewed several victims who stated they attempted to help Root before he assaulted them. One of the victims stated he intervened when he observed Root place a female in a headlock and throw the female to the ground. Some victims had visible injuries but no victims wanted to pursue criminal charges at the time.
Charges against Root for disorderly conduct and for assaulting officers are pending further evaluation, police say. Anyone with additional information about this incident is asked to contact the Burlington Police Department at (802) 658-2704.
Categories: Crime
Looks like Burlington is off to a good start in 2022 in maintaining their reputation as a place to NOT bring your children shopping for shoes. This was not some drunken college student late on a friday night, this was just a typical Tuesday afternoon in the heart of Vermont’s progressive showcase city. Rock on Burlington!
Years ago, the guy would have been shot by a gun-toting VT’er in order to protect the lives of the fellow VT’ers this guy was very violently assaulting. Henceforth? Very little violent crime in VT.
Today, the radicalized legislature has, if I understand the changes to the laws of self-defense correctly, made it illegal to do so unless the dangerous criminal is assaulting an immediate family member (spouse, offspring) – apparently to hell with protecting fellow human beings.
Thus? Violent crime abounds & shall continue – thanks to the deranged leftist lunatics in “charge”.
This is the same guy featured in a recent article about the dire needs of helping the homeless…he’s a lousy spokesperson for them, but presents a “case in point” about the need of getting those homeless who are dangerous off the streets and into some sort of facility that will not only detox them but protect the rest of the public from being assaulted. Those who are homeless by choice should not be given homes by taxpayers…those who are in need of help should damn well have some productive, pragmatic options to pursue so they don’t spiral down into the gutter of substance abuse and crime like Mr. Root has.
He sounds like city council material.
Burlington GETS what it voted for
Lawlessness