Chelsea man bites off part of police officer's ear during altercation

A 27-year-old Chelsea man was ordered held without bail this week after local prosecutors accused him of biting a piece of a police officer's ear during an operation following a domestic violence incident last week, authorities said.

According to the office of Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden, Chelsea police responded to a community center in the city on the afternoon of Aug. 30 for a domestic dispute. When police arrived, they encountered 27-year-old Carlos Sanabria and described him as “uncooperative,” authorities said.

“An employee at the center told officers that Sanabria had a video of a domestic incident involving his girlfriend. Sanabria refused to show police the video and became increasingly angry,” prosecutors said. “As Sanabria was leaving the building, he began yelling at an officer before charging at him and hitting him.”

The officer attempted to arrest Sanabria, but the two fell to the ground with Sanabria on top, Hayden's office said. Sanabria continued to hit the officer and pinned his hands, authorities said.

“Sanabria then bent his head down and bit the officer's ear, tearing off a piece of it,” prosecutors said in a statement.

A second officer then put Sanabria in a chokehold and used a Taser on him, Hayden's office said. Police eventually handcuffed Sanabria, authorities said.

The officer who was bitten in the ear was “immediately treated” and taken to a local hospital.

Sanabria was charged with assault, strangulation, assault on a police officer, voluntary manslaughter and resisting arrest, Hayden's office said.

He was arraigned in Chelsea District Court on Tuesday and ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing later this month. Hayden's office said a doctor was scheduled to examine him.

Hayden said a dangerousness hearing was “entirely appropriate here to ensure the safety of first responders and the entire community.”

“This is an example of how unpredictable domestic violence cases can be for police officers and how quickly their day-to-day operations can become chaotic. This officer was injured in the line of duty and I wish him a speedy recovery,” Hayden said in a statement.

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