A 29-year-old Salem man barricaded himself inside a motorhome parked in a business lot on Thursday evening, stabbed its cushions with a knife, broke out several windows and eventually threw a ceramic mug that struck a police K-9 in the head before leaping from the vehicle's roof onto a patrol car and fleeing across a nearby parked vehicle. Josh Kalani Cuifici was taken into custody after the hours-long confrontation on the 1200 block of Lancaster Drive SE.
According to a media release from the Salem Police Department, the business had asked the motorhome's driver to leave the lot, but the driver refused, prompting the business to call a private towing company. Officers were called to the scene on Thursday, and as reported by KPTV, they arrived at about 5:37 p.m. Police said Cuifici was already wanted on felony warrants for burglary, criminal mischief, reckless burning and criminal trespass by the time officers arrived.
Hours of Negotiation Turn Violent
Officers negotiated with Cuifici for more than an hour, police said, while he remained barricaded inside the motorhome. During that time, police said he used a knife to stab the vehicle's cushions and broke several of its windows, then began throwing glass objects at officers outside.
At some point during the standoff, police said Cuifici threw a ceramic mug that struck Salem police K-9 Andor in the head. Andor was not hurt, according to the department's account as relayed by KPTV's reporting. Officers used less-lethal means to try to get Cuifici to comply, and when that failed, they used less-lethal means again as the situation continued to escalate.
A Chaotic Final Scramble
Cuifici eventually exited the motorhome through a rear window, police said. Rather than surrendering, he climbed onto the motorhome's roof, then jumped onto a patrol car before running onto a vehicle parked nearby — KPTV's account of the sequence matches the Salem Police Department's description of events. The scramble left both the patrol car and the parked vehicle damaged, according to police.
K-9 Rupert assisted officers in making the arrest, police said. Cuifici was ultimately taken into custody on his outstanding felony warrants along with a new set of charges stemming from Thursday's standoff.
Charges and What Comes Next
Police said Cuifici was arrested on the felony warrants plus additional charges tied to the incident. KPTV reported that he was booked into jail on two counts of attempted assault on a public safety officer, one count of attempted assault on a law enforcement animal, and two counts of first-degree criminal mischief.
Police also said Cuifici does not own the motorhome, and that the vehicle's registered owner is listed as deceased, according to KPTV. The Salem Police Department said questions about criminal prosecution should be directed to the Marion County District Attorney's Office. Police said the investigation remains ongoing and that no further details have been released.
