Man Angry at Police Tries to Gouge Out Officer's Eye

A 20-year-old Novato man once arrested for throwing rocks at the Novato police station now faces two felony charges for attacking a officer Tuesday night on Grant Avenue, police said.

Two officers were involved in a traffic stop near the branch at 1600 Grant Ave. when the man walked up to them at 9:42 p.m. and started yelling, Sgt. Eric Riddell said. When the officers turned their attention to the man, he attacked one of them and tried to gouge out the officer's left eye.

Edricx Scutt was controlled and taken into custody as paramedics responded to treat the injured officer. Riddell said the officer, whose identity was not released, suffered an eye injury and had pain in his upper back and neck. He was treated and released from Kaiser hospital in Terra Linda, Riddell said.

The second officer had minor scrapes on one knee.

"He has a disdain for either our police department or police in general," Riddell said of Scutt. "It appears he does not appreciate law enforcement. In this case he inserted himself into something that we were already dealing with. It wasn't like we contacted him."

Scutt was arrested in September 2011 on felony vandalism charges minutes after he and shattered several large panes of glass. The repair bill was $1,400. Nobody was injured; it took place on a Friday when the station's lobby is closed to the public.

Officers caught Scutt at the downtown bus station minutes after the rock attack. He said at the time that he was upset about a prior contact with police the same day when someone had reported him as a suspicious person walking back and forth in front of a business on South Novato Boulevard.

Scutt, who was booked into Marin County Jail at 10:50 p.m. Tuesday, gave his occupation as a car washer. He faces felony charges of battery on a peace officer and obstructing an officer, and Novato police have requested an additional complaint for attempted mayhem because of Scutt's intent to cause a permanent injury, Riddell said.

"We will definitely be approaching him with caution if we have cause to contact him again," Riddell said.