Man accused of pulling knife on mall security, biting a police officer’s fingers
FARMINGTON NM June 19 2020 — A San Juan County man was sprayed with pepper spray by a Farmington mall security guard after he allegedly pulled a knife on the guard. The suspect is also accused of biting a Farmington police officer’s fingers as officers struggled to detain him.
Nolan Frazier, 35, is accused of fourth-degree felony counts of aggravated assault and battery on a peace officer and a misdemeanor count of resisting, evading, or obstructing an officer, according to the criminal complaint.
Frazier did not have legal representation on June 15.
The Farmington Police Department was dispatched around 7:20 p.m. on June 4 to Animas Valley Mall at 4601 E. Main St., according to the probable cause statement and police call logs.
An officer heard the mall security guard had pepper sprayed Frazier.
The officer arrived on scene and found Frazier leaning against a wall outside of the Dollar Tree on the east end of the mall.
Most of the probable cause statement is spent describing the officers’ efforts to detain Frazier, who allegedly resisted arrest. Frazier demanded the officers wash his face after he was pepper sprayed but refused to comply with orders to remove his backpack, the document stated.
At one point, the narrative indicates that Frazier reached into his pocket and threw the knife on the ground, and also yelled at an officer to fire their taser at him, stating he could handle it.
After Frazier was taken to the ground to be detained, he allegedly bit four fingers of one of the officers.
After he was detained a spit mask was placed on him. Officers rolled Frazier onto his side several times, but they said he continued to roll onto his stomach, where he claimed he couldn’t breathe.
The security guard told police he was walking Frazier toward the exit when Frazier pulled the knife on him. The guard said Frazier was being escorted out of the mall when employees at a store complained he was harassing them.
Frazier had two active warrants from Aztec magistrate and municipal courts, according to jail records.
The defendant is incarcerated at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center on a $5,000 cash at 10 percent bond.
Farmington Daily Times
