A Florida man who fought for an LPD officer’s gun inside a restroom at a south Lincoln Arby’s this week is now accused of assaulting a Lancaster County Jail staffer. LPD Sergeant Chris Vollmer says the incident involving 36-year-old Joseph Bertolino happened just before 11:00 Thursday morning and escalated quickly.
“The incident occurred in the infirmary when they were trying to get Joseph back into his cell,” Vollmer says. “He resisted those efforts, and multiple staff came to assist in getting him into his cell, and a fight ensued.”
Vollmer says during the altercation, a corrections officer was struck on the arm by a Taser-type device and suffered minor cuts to the head and elbow. Several staff members were eventually able to subdue Bertolino and get him into his cell.
He was cited for second-degree assault on an officer. During the Arby’s altercation, Vollmer said Bertolino grabbed for the officer’s gun, and a round was fired into the restroom floor. Bertolino was booked on attempted first-degree assault on an officer.