A large crowd began to circle around us and shout obscenities. The angry crowd turned into a hostile mob . . . As the crowd surrounded us, they began spitting on us and throwing beer bottles and blocks of wood. Officer Hanfin was hit both on the left side of his face and on his forearm as he tried to defend himself from the projectiles. Officer Myett, who had lost his flashlight, was then struck in the back of the head by a heavy object.
Police suspect one of the youths used the three-pound flashlight as a weapon.
Taunted by members of the crowd, Mr. Hanafin pulled out his pepper spray and warned the youths to stay back. They continued their shouting, and according to the report, Officer Hanafin sprayed into the group. At this point, police engaged in what the chief called a tactical withdrawal, retreating back to their cruisers to call for all available police as backup. Chief Rich said police from every Island town responded, bringing some dozen officers onto the scene by about 3 a.m. Both sides agreed that what helped ease the tension was the ultimate presence of police who knew many of the teenagers through their work as school resource officers, namely West Tisbury Officer Brian Cioffi and Sgt.