A Jersey City man was arrested today when he tried to cut through the funeral procession of Jersey City Detective Melvin Santiago and began shouting that he wanted to kill "white people," officials said.
Quamir Shaw, 22, of Garrison Avenue, made his first court appearance on the charges of aggravated assault on a police officer and resisting arrest after he was taken into custody at 10:40 a.m. on Kennedy Boulevard near Highland Avenue, officials said.
Officials said that while he was in a holding cell, Shaw "stated numerous times he was going to get an AK-47 and kill," the officers.
When Shaw tried to cross the street through the procession, an officer attempted to stop him, authorities said. But Shaw began screaming obscenities and continued to try to cut through the procession, officials said, adding that as a crowd gathered Shaw began yelling that "he was going to kill white people."
The officer put Shaw against a fence and while trying to handcuff him, Shaw began flailing his arms and struck the officer in the chest. Even after being cuffed, Shaw attempted to pull away from the officers several times and he tried to kick the officers as he was being placed in a police vehicle, officials said.
Shaw told the officers they could not arrest him because his mother is a Jersey City judge but in court today he said that was not true.
"Given the incendiary language he used and the sense of timing for law enforcement in Jersey City and residents in general, I would like to ask for a bail at the high side of the range," Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor John Wojtal told Central Judicial Processing court Judge Kelly Austin.
Austin set the bail at $5,000 with a 10 percent cash option.
During the hearing, Austin asked Shaw if he has a history of mental illness and Shaw said he does not. After the CJP hearing, Shaw could be heard screaming obscenities in a court holding cell.
