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HAZLETON &mdash; Police arrested a man on Saturday after he allegedly struck an officer with a door while attempting to lock police out of a North Wyoming Street residence.
				David Velez, 24, of Hazleton was charged with simple assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and harassment after police were waved down by a female claiming that Velez was harassing her and her friends.
				Velez was also discovered by his own admission to have a warrant out against him, later confirmed by police to be for aggravated assault.
				According to the criminal complaint:
				Officers were flagged down by a female in the area of North Wyoming Street and West First Street. The female told police that a man, later identified as Velez, had been harassing her and a group of juvenile females. He had called them names and allegedly charged at the group with a glass bottle, threatening to hit them before an adult female walking by intervened.
				Velez left the scene and entered a house on North Wyoming Street, where police got him to open up the door. He became irate when officers tried to talk to him about the situation, telling them that the females had been harassing him and that he didn&rsquo;t want to speak to the officers.
				Velez admitted to the officers that he had an active warrant out for him and &ldquo;didn&rsquo;t want to deal with it today.&rdquo; He then struck one of the officers with the front door of the residence, hitting him in the forehead.
				Officers attempted to keep Velez from locking them out, and one of the officers sustained several small lacerations to his arm while trying to force open the door.
				Velez was instructed several times to get down on the floor, which he refused to do. Finally, one of the officers struck Velez with a closed fist, and they were able to get him into custody.
				After taking Velez to City Hall and confirming the active warrant out for him, Lehigh Valley EMS treated him for his injuries and he was transported to Luzerne County Correctional Facility.
				Velez was arraigned on Tuesday in front of Magisterial District Judge David Barilla, and was unable to post $3,000 in bail. His preliminary hearing is set for next Wednesday.

Hazleton man faces assault, harassment charges