by Timothy Page

In the early hours of Sunday morning, December 3, at the intersection of Church Street and Main Street, an officer from the Burlington Police Department saw one woman attack another. The victim is someone the police know to be homeless and dealing with mental health problems. After checking the surveillance cameras, it seems like there was no obvious reason for the attack. The victim was standing alone in the road when the attacker came out of nowhere and hit her. Then the attacker’s friends quickly took her away. The officer stayed with the injured victim, who was in pain, and called for backup, giving a detailed description of the attacker.

Other police officers followed the attacker and her friends. Some of the friends tried to stop the officers, claiming that the victim had started the fight. Meanwhile, the attacker and some of her friends kept moving away from the scene.

Finally, the officers managed to stop the attacker at the intersection of Main Street and South Winooski. The people with the attacker surrounded the officer. The attacker was drunk and aggressive, trying to kick the officers, and even said, “I wanted to kick him in the crotch!” The officers used strong commands and minimum force to maintain a safe distance between themselves and the group. Eventually, they arrested the attacker.

Keep in mind that the information is not final and may change.

During the arrest, the attacker lay down on the sidewalk and refused to cooperate. The police had to handcuff her forcefully because she was not cooperating. While she was being put in a police car, she kicked and injured an officer. She refused to give any identification except for her first name, Rachel. They took her to the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility (CRCF), where the staff said she continued to refuse to give any information. They expect her to be identified in court and have a hearing on Monday morning.

If you have any information about this incident, please contact the Burlington Police Department at (802) 658-2704.