Man wanted for assaulting a police officer arrested in Lambertville

LAMBERTVILLE — A man wanted by authorities in New York for assaulting a police officer was arrested Wednesday afternoon in Lambertville after he broke into a home following a brief foot chase.

Benjamin Chapman, 32, was wanted in New York for assault, reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest, obstructing government officer, and fleeing an officer.

On Wednesday, law enforcement officers stopped a vehicle they suspected he was in, and Mr. Chapman, who was a passenger, fled on foot. In an effort to elude pursing officers, he then broke into a residence in the 6800 block of Secor Road, entering through a back sliding door.

Members of the U.S. Marshals Service’s Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force and the Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Team, along with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, set up a perimeter around the residence and ultimately arrested Mr. Chapman without further incident.

Police found a firearm in the vehicle from which Mr. Chapman fled. He was booked into the Monroe County jail.

He is accused of striking a police officer for the town of Ulster, N.Y., with his vehicle on March 30, 2021. Mr. Chapman had been pulled over for a traffic violation and was found to have an active warrant for criminal possession of a controlled substance.

During that encounter, Mr. Chapman allegedly struck the officer with his vehicle and then fled the scene. The officer suffered injuries from the assault. Mr. Chapman has been on the run since the incident and has committed other violent offenses in other states, authorities said.

On Tuesday, noting he had ties to Toledo and Monroe, the U.S. Marshals Service put out a plea in local media for the public’s assistance in locating Mr. Chapman. According to officials, Wednesday’s arrest was a direct result of information provided by the public.