UPDATE: Lower Southampton Officer Injured on Scene of Transformer Fire

A Lower Southampton man was charged in July with aggravated assault and resisting arrest after allegedly assaulting a Lower Southampton police officer. On Tuesday, October 4, Mark O'Donnell, 43 Feasterville, waived a preliminary hearing in district court to review the case. According to PhillyBurbs.com, the charges will be sent to Bucks County Court in Doylestown and his formal arraignment date there is scheduled for November 4.

were dispatched to the area of East Bristol Road and Saxon Drive yesterday at about 4:19 p.m. on July 11 for a , according to a police report.

Officers closed off East Bristol Road in all directions due to the "extreme danger" of fire, smoke covering the roadway and the possibility of electrocution in the area.

At about 4:30 p.m. O'Donnell pulled his work van onto Saxon Drive and got out. He attempted to walk through the emergency scene; Sergeant Frank Leonhardt confronted O'Donnell and advised him that the road was closed due to the fire. 

O'Donnell told police that he had to get home to his 6-year-old daughter, which is about two blocks north of the fire scene. He then attempted to push past Leonhardt and go through the scene. Leonhardt grabbed O'Donnell to restrain him, who immediately shoved Leonhardt to the ground injuring his knee. While down on the ground, Leonhardt tried to grab O'Donnell's feet; Leonhardt was kicked several times.

While Leonhardt was getting back on his feet, several firefighters had to leave their duties to assist Leonhardt in controlling O'Donnell.

O'Donnell continued to resist attempts to be cuffed despite being told three times to stop resisting, prompting Leonhardt to Taser him. O'Donnell pulled the Taser probes out and continued to resist. Several other firefighters, who also have day jobs as police officers, jumped in to help get O'Donnell under control.

O'Donnell was drive stunned in the back and went on the ground with the firefighters holding him. After he was cuffed and helped up, O'Donnell became combative and abusive to the firefighters and Leonhardt and had to be "forcibly" moved to a police car. O'Donnell said he wanted to go to the hospital; he was transported by an officer to St. Mary's and was medically cleared.

O'Donnell was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest. He was transported to the Bensalem Police Department to be Live Scanned and video arraigned in front of on-call District Judge Robert Wagner in Bristol Township.

O'Donnell was sent to Bucks County Prison in lieu of $250,000 bail.

Leonhardt responded to St. Mary's for injuries to his left knee and foot, was treated and released.

Further information showed that O'Donnell's 6-year-old daughter was not at home alone, she was at home with her mother.