MOULTRIE, Ga. — A Moultrie man was arrested early in the morning of Jan. 18 after an altercation with a police officer.

Eric Pernell Ryles, 42, 702 Seventh Ave. S.E. was reportedly walking in the 600 block of South Main Street around 2:30 a.m., according to Lt. David Corona of the Moultrie Police Department Criminal Investigation Division. 

“Officers noticed Ryles walking looking suspicious when they stopped him. After speaking with him and running his name in the computer, they discovered he had active warrants through the (Colquitt County) Sheriff’s Office,” Corona stated in an interview Thursday.

The officers attempted to place Ryles under arrest when he “became irate and began resisting,” according to Corona. 

“Officers were able to get him on the ground and were attempting to place him under arrest. That’s when he got on top of one of the officers and began to choke him,” Corona said.

The second officer was able to pull Ryles off the officer. Rules was placed under arrest and was taken to the Colquitt County Jail without further incident. He was originally charged with obstruction of a law enforcement officer until further investigation of the officer’s body cam footage. 

“After seeing the footage of the incident, I chose to charge (Ryles) with aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer,” Corona said. 

Ryles was charged with aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer for the incident on Jan. 18 as well as the active warrants for misdemeanor theft by taking and fourth degree forgery.