Burlington officer seriously injured responding to attack

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - A man is behind bars after police say he attacked a Burlington police officer at the downtown bus terminal.

Burlington Police say they got calls Tuesday at about 6 p.m. reporting a man attacking a bus driver at the station on Cherry Street. When an officer arrived, police say David Perry, 39, of Newport, approached her in a “menacing fashion.” She deployed her taser, which was unsuccessful because of Perry’s bulky winter clothing.

The officer was then hurt by a fall as she was backing away from Perry. She was taken to the hospital and released a few hours later with injuries that appear to be less severe than first thought.

Acting Chief Jon Murad says citizens stepped in to help the officer. “It said a lot that members of our community were there to help that police officer, work with that police officer. Public safety is a shared responsibility and in this instance, people put that philosophy into practice by helping that officer defend herself from somebody who was showing a lot of aggression and was showing violence towards others as well,” he said.

Perry was charged with assault and released on $5,000 cash bail with conditions that include requirements to stay off GMT property and to have no contact with the bus driver.

He is also prohibited from having contact with the first officer.

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