Man accused of assaulting police after fight at local eatery

4065

A man was arrested March 27 in connection with a fight at a local eatery, and later also charged with resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer during the incident, according to Maricopa officers. 

Kenneth W. Schutze was booked into Pinal County jail on suspicion of aggravated assault of police, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, criminal trespass, criminal damage and bringing a firearm into an establishment with a posted no-firearms sign, according to a probable-cause statement. 

At 6:36 p.m., Maricopa police were called to The Roost, 20800 N. John Wayne Pkwy., on a report of a fight in progress between two men. One of them was identified as Schutze, the other as Shelby Dupree, police said. 

An officer saw security staff holding Schutze back in the parking lot and saw Schutze pushing past the security staff and engaging in an altercation with Dupree, who was on the outdoor patio. 

According to a probable-cause statement, Schutze ignored police commands to step away. Officers tried to escort Schutze away from Dupree, but Schutze attempted to pull away. Police subdued Schutze and forced him to the ground, where he continued to resist being placed in handcuffs. Officers finally got him cuffed. Police noted that during the arrest an officer’s uniform shirt was torn. 

Police found a loaded handgun hidden in Schutze’s motorcycle vest. The Roost has a clearly posted “no firearms” sign, according to officers. 

Security staff at the restaurant told police that Schutze was told to leave the property after the fight but refused. Police watched security footage, which showed Schutze as the primary aggressor, they said.  

Dupree told police that Schutze had called him racial epithets and had disputed his status as a motorcycle-club member and tried to rip a chain from his neck before Dupree hit him in self-defense, according to officers.