Damascus Man Charged With Assault After Incident Spurs Officer to Fire Weapon

Michael L. Roberts, 34, of Damascus man was charged with assault and reckless endangerment after a domestic incident escalated, spurring a Montgomery County police officer to fire his weapon.

No one was shot.

The charges stem from a domestic incident dispatched to police at around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at a residence in the 24100 block of Newbury Road.

A woman called 911 to report that her daughter’s boyfriend had become violent and was damaging the house. The mother and daughter were able to leave the house before police arrived, police said.

Police claim that Roberts was armed with a long gun and was exiting the front door when the first officer arrived at the scene—spurring the officer to fire his handgun.

After that, Roberts put the gun down and was taken into custody without incident.

Police said that under standard procedure, the police officer—who's been at the department for 9 years—has been placed on paid, administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation.