Swanton man held without bail after Burlington Police Officer hospitalized

Burlington, VT – Michail Gbenusola, 41 of Swanton is being held without bail after an apparent assault on a Burlington Police Officer. Surveillance video appears to show him punching the officer in the head. The officer was then hospitalized with signs of a significant concussion.

Police say the event took place around 1:25 a.m. after a patrol officer and two unarmed community service officers noticed a man behaving erratically and shouting obscenities. The man, later identified as Gbenusola appears to punch the patrol officer as shown by security footage from the corner of Main St. and Church St.

Investigators said that not only was the punch unprovoked, but that the officer asked Gbenusola if he needed any assistance before the situation took a violent turn.

“We don’t know what prompted him,” said Burlington Police Lt. Mike Henry of Gbenusola. “Walked straight for the officer, pointed his finger in his face, and then without warning violently punched the police officer knocking him backwards.”

Lt. Henry said the officer deployed his taser after being struck, which prevented Gbenusola from attacking him further. He said that the community service officers called for backup, providing the injured officer with critical assistance.

“We had two Community Service Officers, we had one female, one male, who were unarmed and only carry pepper spray,” Henry explained. “They played a vital role in getting the officer the assistance that he needed from other officers. We had one CSO radio dispatch saying officers needed assistance at Church and Main.”

The name of the officer who was struck has not been revealed, but he was taken to the emergency room at the University of Vermont Medical Center with a significant head injury and was evaluated for traumatic brain injuries. Henry said the officer will need time to heal and recover before returning to the force.

Gbenusola also received medical transport as a precaution following the use of a taser.

Henry said Gbenusola is well known to Burlington Police, and has several misdemeanor and felony convictions on his record, including previous assaults. He is being held at Northwest State Correctional Facility and will appear in court Monday on a charge of aggravated assault on a police officer.

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