Woman accused of punching Tarentum officer faces felony charge

Tarentum police accused a woman of punching an officer in the back of the head while he was trying to arrest a man who was fighting outside a bar.

Brianna Hooper, 24, of the 800 block of Kenneth Avenue in New Kensington was charged with a felony count of aggravated assault along with counts of simple assault and harassment.

She was released from custody after posting a $25,000 unsecured bond. She faces a preliminary hearing before District Judge Carolyn Bengel on Dec. 14, according to court records.

Police wrote in a criminal complaint charging Hooper that officers were dispatched shortly after 2 a.m. Nov. 24 for a report of a large fight outside a bar in the 200 block of East Sixth Avenue.

Several people were fighting when police arrived and intervened to halt the altercation, the complaint said.

The owner of the bar told police he wanted to press charges against one of the men involved, but Hooper refused to let go of the man when officers tried to take him into custody.

Police said they were able to get the man to the ground to handcuff him when Hooper came up behind an officer and punched him twice in the back of the head, according to the complaint.

Several other officers who responded to the scene witnessed the assault, police said. The incident also was recorded by a police body camera, according to the complaint.