A Wilkinsburg man is accused of shoving, threatening and spitting on a police officer at UPMC Mercy after police said he became irate that a phone charger lent to him by a hospital staffer didn’t work.
It wasn’t until Roderick Cook Jr., 28, flashed a gun at the UPMC officer, however, that police arrested him, according to a criminal complaint filed against him.
Cook faces charges of aggravated assault, making terroristic threats, harassment and firearms violations in connection with the incident Tuesday night at the hospital in Pittsburgh’s Uptown section.
Cook had gone to the hospital to be treated for alcohol intoxication, the complaint said.
Police said Cook became angry that a phone charger lent to him by a hospital staffer wasn’t working and he had been “hostile and belligerent throughout his stay.” After Cook was discharged and a police officer escorted Cook to the emergency room entrance where a ride was waiting for him, Cook shoved the officer and then spit in his face in the parking lot, the complaint said.
Cook then urinated in the parking lot and began threatening the officer, telling him, “I should have blown you away,” “I could have blown you away” and “I’ma (sic) blow you away.”
The officer let Cook continue on his away, but after he got in the car waiting for him, police said he raised a pistol through the partially open passenger-side window. The officer drew his gun and then arrested Cook.
Cook was taken to Allegheny County Jail after failing to post $10,000 bond, according to online court records. The records did not list an attorney for Cook.
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