Huntington man charged with biting police officer, cops say

A Huntington man was charged with biting a Suffolk police officer on the arm at a town board meeting Tuesday night, police said.

Before he entered the meeting room at Huntington Town Hall about 6:40 p.m., a public safety officer asked to see Daniel Karpen's backpack. Police said Karpen, 66, refused and was asked to step outside, but instead he ran into a meeting room where people had gathered to discuss a construction project in Elwood.

Suffolk Second Precinct officers, who were at Town Hall, tried to handcuff Karpen because he had caused a disturbance. But while they were trying to detain him, Karpen bit a female officer on the arm.

The officer was taken to Huntington Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Karpen was charged with disorderly conduct, third-degree criminal trespass, resisting arrest and second-degree assault.

He is being held overnight at the Second Precinct and is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Wednesday.