Somerville Rock Thrower Allegedly Kicks Medford Cops

A Somerville man faces a slew of charges after he allegedly kicked two police officers as they tried to arrest him for attempting to steal a pair of sweatpants and some underwear, according to Medford police.

The man was recognized by police because he was throwing rocks at cars on Route 16 a few minutes earlier, according to a police report written by Officer Michael Pellegrino.

About 8 p.m. Sept. 12, a loss prevention officer at  on Mystic Valley Parkway spotted a man stuffing items into his backpack and ripping tags off shoes, the report said. 

The suspect was taken to the store's loss prevention office where he was met by Medford Police, police said.

Pellegrino, one of the officers who responded to Kohls, recogonized the man as Samuel Socobasin because of an incident about 35 minutes earlier, Pellegrino wrote in the report.

Socobasin was allegedly throwing rocks at a car on Route 16 near Kohls and caused about $250 in damage, Pellegrino wrote. But the victim of the rock-throwing did not wish to press charges, so Socobasin was let go, the report said.

Police searched Socobasin's bag and found a pair of fleece sweatpants valued at $32 and a package of underwear valued at $21, Pellegrino wrote.

Socobasin was handcuffed and police began to escort him out of the store, but he braced his legs and then threw himself to the ground, Pellegrino wrote.

While being loaded into the wagon, Socobasin kicked Pellegrino in the chest and kicked Officer John Pellegrino in the leg, the report said.

"I tried to remove his sneakers but he was flapping his legs up and down," Pellgrino wrote.

Socobasin was pepper sprayed and eventually settled into the wagon, police said.

He was brought to Medford Police Headquarters, where he was booked on two counts of assault and battery on a police officer, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, one count of shoplifting and one count of resisting arrest.

He was arraigned the morning of Sept. 13 in Somerville District Court and ordered held on $1,000 bail by Judge Maurice Flynn.