PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The man accused of fighting a police officer in Providence before taking off in his cruiser faced a judge Wednesday morning.

Ishmael Lee is charged with simple assault, reckless driving, larceny of over $10,000, carrying a firearm without a permit, possessing a large-capacity feeding device, resisting arrest, and obstruction of justice.

A patrol officer saw Lee and another man riding three-wheelers recklessly in the bike lane off Broad Street on Tuesday evening, according to a police report obtained by 12 News.

The officer watched as Lee crashed into another man riding an electric scooter. The report said the officer rushed over the help the man, as did Lee after he parked his three-wheeler.

While speaking with both men, the officer noticed Lee had taken off the satchel he was wearing and looped it around the handlebar of his three-wheeler.

Lee then tried to distance himself from the satchel as he continued talking to the officer, according to the report.

Since the officer believed there might be a weapon inside, he tried to pat the bag down before allowing Lee to grab his license from it, the report said. Lee reportedly gave the officer permission to search the satchel for weapons, then pulled it away when the officer tried to grab it.

The two briefly struggled over the bag before Lee tried to hop back on his three-wheeler and start it. But the officer had placed his hand over the ignition, preventing Lee from turning it on, according to the report.

Lee took off running, leaving the officer, his satchel and three-wheeler behind.

The officer, still carrying the satchel, started chasing after Lee while simultaneously calling for backup, the report said. He was able to catch up with Lee after the suspect ran into and rolled off a car that was stopped in traffic on Broad Street, according to police.

The two struggled again before Lee was able to escape the officer’s grasp and continue running. The report said the officer started chasing Lee, but stopped after realizing the firearm had fallen out of the satchel.

The officer opted to pick up and secure the loaded firearm, but lost sight of Lee as a result. That’s when bystanders told the officer that Lee had gotten into his cruiser, according to the report.

Surveillance footage obtained by 12 News shows the moment Lee drove off in the cruiser. He didn’t get far, however, and ended up abandoning the vehicle at the intersection of Elmwood Avenue and Atlantic Street.

The police report noted that officers found Lee’s phone in the cruiser underneath the driver’s seat.

Officers searched the neighborhood for Lee and eventually found him hiding behind a home near the intersection of Reservoir and Adelaide avenues.

Lee was ordered held as a probation violator pending his next court date, which is scheduled for Aug. 21.

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