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Officer Assaulted During Foot Pursuit Left Paralyzed

ROANOKE, VA – The Roanoke officer who was assaulted and left unconscious Saturday while attempting to arrest a suspect is paralyzed, a police spokeswoman said.

It is not known yet, though, if Officer Bryan Lawrence’s paralysis is permanent, said police spokeswoman Aisha Johnson.

“Time will tell,” she said. “It goes without saying that everybody is hoping for the best.”

Lawrence is being treated at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

He was working off-duty to provide security Saturday night when he heard on his radio that a woman had been hurt at the Go Mart in the 3500 block of Williamson Road Northwest, not far from where he was, his son, Robert Lawrence, has said.

Lawrence spotted the two suspects in a vehicle at the intersection of Huntington Boulevard and Hillcrest Avenue, police said.

He stopped the vehicle, and the suspects fled on foot.

Lawrence chased them and was in the process of apprehending one suspect when the other assaulted him. Soon after, officers who had been called to assist Lawrence found him unconscious on Hillcrest Avenue.

Police declined to say how Lawrence was assaulted, but a search warrant filed in Roanoke Circuit Court said a shoe print was visible on his head.

Police charged William Steele Jr., 18, of Roanoke with malicious wounding of an officer and felony obstruction.

They also charged Dantonio Foster, 25, of Roanoke with felony obstruction and malicious wounding, which was related to the incident at the Go Mart.

Lawrence and his family had previously not wanted to release any information about his condition, but decided to do so Thursday, said Scott Altizer, president of the Roanoke City Police Association.

“It’s really tragic,” he said. “Really tragic.”

The police association is planning a poker run to benefit Lawrence and his family. Details had not been finalized Thursday, but Altizer said the fundraiser is planned for sometime in June.

“We’re trying to make it a pretty big event,” he said.

The association has also set up a fund for donations.

Lawrence is a crime prevention officer who is known for his work with Project Lifesaver.

The program provides people with Alzheimer’s disease, Down syndrome, autism or other mental illnesses with a radio transmitter that is worn as a bracelet. If a person wearing the transmitter gets lost, police can find them more easily.

The Roanoke Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association, created to support officers, has offered to help the department with some of Lawrence’s responsibilities while he recovers.

For instance, Lawrence had already trained some of the alumni members to change the batteries in the Project Lifesaver bracelets. He had also taught them how to perform property checks for residents on vacation.

“We’re at their service to fill in for him, whatever needs to be done,” said Howard Martin, the alumni association’s president.

“I just want him to get well.”

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