Holyoke man punches officer after driving under the influence without license

CHICOPEE, Mass. — A Holyoke man had quite the day when he punched an officer and drove under the influence without a license.

William Rivas was driving in Chicopee when Officer Joe Brunelle said he stopped at a red light and saw Rivas skidding and hitting the curb behind him several times. Brunelle got out of his car, and saw the 28-year-old making baseball signals, motioning that he was "safe".

The officer told Rivas to turn his car off, and Rivas then turned his key forward rather than backward while the car was on. Next, he was asked to give a license, and showed a Massachusetts ID, rather than a license.

While Rivas was on the phone with someone else, Brunelle said Rivas told someone he was driving while drunk, using the car to drop someone off and was still driving during an open case of driving without a license.

Rivas then told Brunelle he would harm himself before he could be handcuffed, which drove Brunelle and officer Kyle Whalley to open Rivas's door and try to handcuff him. Rivas resisted, and ended up punching Whalley in the face. Whalley's head snapped back into Brunelle's, and Brunelle then used his taser on Rivas.

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Rivas was charged with negligent operation of a motor vehicle, four counts of assault and battery on a police officer, operating with a revoked license and OUI due to alcohol.

He was transported to the hospital before heading to the police headquarters, and was released on $140 bail.

Cox Media Group