WPD Arrests Brawler at 7-Eleven After Assault at Picasso’s

Warwick, RI – Warwick Police were called to Picasso’s Pizza at 2323 Warwick Ave. March 12 at 12:52 a.m. for a report of a fight, ultimately finding the alleged aggressor down the street at 7-Eleven before arresting him.

Police charged John Cameron, 20, of 73 Brightside Ave., Warwick, with two counts of simple assault.

When Officer Christopher Fernandes, one of four officers responding to the call, arrived at the pizza shop and bar, he found two men who reported being assaulted by a single man, later identified as Cameron, according to his report.

Fernandes spoke with the first man, a 34-year-old, who said he exited the bar to smoke and was “sucker-punched” in the face, according to the report. He said he fell to the ground and blacked out.

Fernandes reported the victim was unsteady and confused, and appeared to have a “significant injury” to his face. Warwick Rescue personnel treated him, but he refused transport to the hospital.

A witness to the assault said she heard a commotion outside the bar and stepped out to see the victim, her friend,on the ground in a fetal positions, asking Cameron to stop. She saw Cameron kick the man instead, according to the report. She said there were about nine other people watching the attack.

Cameron continued to swing wildly in the crowd, striking another man in the face, giving him a bloody nose, she said. She went inside to tell the bartender to call police, then stepped out and dialed 911 on her cell phone, she said, observing Cameron leaving the property in a maroon Chevy Malibu, speeding away, according to the report.

Fernandes radioed Cameron’s description and that of his car to other responding officers, who located and stopped the vehicle at the 7-Eleven just north of the bar at the intersection of Warwick Avenue and Church Avenue.

Officer Russell Brown found the Malibu, which appeared to have just stopped at the store, according to his report. Five people got out, but Brown got out of his cruiser and told them to get back in, which they did.

Brown spoke with the occupants, finding Cameron among the passengers, and arrested him.

Brown also arrested the driver, Damien Shuyler, 25, who had an outstanding warrant from Third District Court for failing to appear on a charge of driving without a license. He also arrested a second passenger, Lucas Mitchell, 22, charging him with obstructing an officer after the man provided a false name.