Police: Man caught breaking into PNC Bank before biting arresting officer

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Police say a man who was found rummaging through an office inside a Wilmington bank after hours also faces assault charges for biting the officer arresting him.

Wilmington Police say around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, dispatchers first got a call from the man, who told them he was being followed and needed help. After the man refused to give them information on his location, officers say they tracked his phone to an area near the PNC Bank in the 3700 block of Oleander Drive.

Police say an officer arrived on the scene there and noticed a car in the parking lot that was still running with the doors open. Officers say the alarm at PNC Bank began to sound, and they could hear the suspect screaming inside. That’s when police spotted John Stanton, 45, tearing up an office inside the bank.

Officers say Stanton saw police, and yelled that he gave up, but then tried to escape from officers after he was handcuffed. When Stanton was in the back of the police car, that’s when officers say he tried to kick out the back window of the patrol car before biting an officer.

Police say the officer was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries and was released. Stanton is charged with assault on a law enforcement officer, breaking and entering, resisting arrest and property damage. He is in the New Hanover County Jail under $10,000 bond.