An original version of this article included the name of the student who was involved in the altercation with the officers. His name has been redacted because the charges were dropped.
A male sophomore was arrested Dec. 16 at Josiah's after a physical altercation with Department of Public Safety officers.
At a district court hearing Dec. 17, the student was released on $5,000 personal recognizance.
The student was charged with assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, wrote Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations, in an email to The Herald. He was admitted to Rhode Island Hospital for a nose injury and then transferred to the custody of Providence Police Sunday morning, she wrote.
The student had reached into a container of french fries and then refused a Jo's employee's request that he leave, said Bryan Smith '15, a Brown University Dining Services supervisor.
The student was reportedly intoxicated, according to charges read at the Dec. 17 hearing.
The Department of Public Safety received a request for assistance at approximately 1:15 a.m., Quinn wrote.
When they arrived, DPS officers first asked the student to calm down, Smith said.
When an officer grabbed the student to escort him from Jo's, he attempted to punch the officer, said Adam Green '14, who witnessed the incident. Three officers then wrestled the student to the floor, he said.
Additional police officers arrived on the scene, with about six or eight officers present at one point, Smith said. The police then cleared students from the restaurant area of the eatery and closed the doors.
The student, whose face was bloodied, was taken out of Jo's by police officers, Smith said. "He was yelling about his jacket on the ground," he said. "Eventually they picked up his jacket and threw it away."
Ben Heller '13, who was sitting in the dining portion of the eatery, said he was upset by the way officers treated other students in the eatery immediately following the incident.
"When I approached the (restaurant side), the cops were basically being aggressive," Heller said. "Cops were saying, 'You'd better back off, or you're going to be next.'"
Jo's closed for the night shortly afterward.
Both Green and Smith said many witnesses were shaken by the incident.
"I don't think the whole situation was approached appropriately," Green said, adding that he believed the student should not have attacked officers and had suspected he was intoxicated.
The student declined to comment, and representatives from DPS did not respond to requests for comment.
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