A Cumberland man who walked up to police officers on foot patrol to report that he had been assaulted wound up in handcuffs himself, charged with pulling a kitchen knife and swinging it at another man during an argument near a park in the Bridge Street area. Deron Michael Elbin, 51, is now being held without bond at the Allegany County Detention Center as he awaits trial.
Officers Say Elbin Approached Them First
The encounter began Monday, when Cumberland Police Department officers patrolling near the park in the Bridge Street area were approached by Elbin, who told them he had been assaulted, according to wcbcradio.com. What started as Elbin reporting himself as a victim quickly turned into an investigation of his own alleged conduct once officers began gathering accounts from a witness and the man he allegedly confronted.
A witness told officers they saw Elbin swing a knife at a victim several times during an argument, the station reported. The alleged victim gave police a similar account, saying Elbin produced a kitchen knife and began swinging it at him amid the dispute, with his description lining up with what the witness had described.
Arrest, Charges and Detention
Police detained Elbin while they worked to locate the other man involved, then arrested him after interviewing both the witness and the alleged victim, per the same report. He now faces charges of first-degree assault, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment, and was transported to the Allegany County Detention Center, where he was held without bond pending trial.
As first reported by Shore News Network, Cumberland police have not disclosed the cause of the disagreement or whether the two men knew each other. Police also have not indicated whether the kitchen knife was recovered or submitted as evidence, and they have not explained the precise legal basis for the first-degree assault charge against Elbin. The alleged victim's identity has not been publicly released.
What Maryland's Assault Statutes Say
Under Maryland law, first-degree assault can apply to allegations involving serious physical injury or assault with a firearm, though the exact grounds for the charge in Elbin's case have not been spelled out by police. The relevant statute, Maryland Criminal Law § 3-202, also separately bars assault by intentional strangling, a felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Second-degree assault, meanwhile, carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a $5,000 fine, or both, according to Maryland Criminal Law § 3-203. The reckless endangerment charge addresses conduct alleged to create a substantial risk of death or serious physical injury to another person.
Elbin's case now awaits further court proceedings, and as with any criminal case, he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
