Man grabs officer’s gun, fights on the ground before arrest, police say

PHILIPPI, W.Va (WDTV) - A Barbour County man has been charged after authorities said he grabbed an officer’s pistol and fought on the ground before being arrested.

Officers responded to a home on Macklin Street in Philippi on Friday after 24-year-old Isaac Cleavenger threw a bowl at a woman’s head during an argument, according to a criminal complaint.

When officers tried to arrest Cleavenger, he allegedly pulled away and grabbed the officer’s pistol.

The officer stopped Cleavenger from getting the pistol out of the holster but “rolled” with him on the floor while fighting over the gun, court documents say.

Another officer on the scene deployed a taser on Cleavenger, and the report said he was eventually arrested.

In an interview with West Virginia State Police troopers, Cleavenger reportedly said he tried “to take the firearm in an attempt to get officers to kill him.”

Cleavenger has been charged with domestic assault and attempt to disarm law enforcement. He is being held at Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $23,000 bond.

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