Father of man who attacked Coatesville cop with rock writes apology
COATESVILLE, Pa. (WPVI) -- The father of the man who attacked a Coatesville police officer with a rock, in an attack that was caught on video, wrote an apology to the department.
Police officials posted the letter on the department's Facebook page on Tuesday. It was sent following the July 18th incident in which Officer Jared Davis was attacked with a rock while on patrol.
In the letter, Eric Watson Sr., the father of the suspect, Eric Watson Jr., writes, "I would like to extend my sincere apology to the injured officer, his family and your department at this time."
"I also extend to Officer Jared Davis, who must have been traumatized by the experience of being attacked by Eric."
Watson Sr. said he is also writing with admiration of Ofc. Davis for "professionalism beyond the norm" when "the lives of officers in blue are in danger."
"Even during the injuring of an officer, the rights of Eric [were] not breached."
"It is our hope that all involved parties see this as an opportunity to move forward in a positive direction," police wrote in the Facebook post.
Other officers responded to the incident and one of them, a detective, was hit in the chest during the scuffle and suffered a broken sternum.
Officers used a stun gun to subdue Watson.
During his arraignment, Watson cursed at the judge and told her to lock him up, throw away the key, and deport him back to Jamaica. He told the judge he has been homeless for the last four years in Coatesville.
Bail has been set at $100,000.
