Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood was injured Saturday in a Bike Week scuffle when he was bitten on the hand by a man who had flagged him down on Main Street as the annual motorcycle event drew to a close.
Chitwood gashed his head on a motorcycle as he fell to the ground in a struggle with Michael Dangelo, 43, who was jailed on felony charges of aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence.
According to a police report, Dangelo, a Daytona Beach resident who spent 79 days in jail last year on a battery charge, told Chitwood that he had a "constitutional right to kill any police officer that he thought was bad."
When Chitwood turned to walk away, Dangelo spit on him.
Chitwood, a former Philadelphia police officer who has served as Daytona Beach chief since May 2006, was bitten on the right hand when he reached for Dangelo to place him under arrest. According to the police report, the chief's left hand was broken in the scrap and he needed stitches to close the gash on his forehead.
Witnesses to the assault helped restrain Dangelo, including a Miami police officer. The incident occurred about 6 p.m. Saturday.
Dangelo appeared this morning before a judge who returned him to the Volusia County Division of Corrections. Volusia County Clerk of Courts and county jail records show Dangelo has previously been charged with domestic battery, felony battery, disorderly conduct and trespassing.
Chitwood was treated for the bite at Halifax Medical Center and released, said Jimmy Flynt, a police spokeswman.
Copyright 2013 - Orlando Sentinel
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
