Ex-cop sentenced to prison for
pointing gun at Holland Police
HOLLAND, MI -- A former Wyoming
Police officer will serve time in prison for pointing a gun at police in
downtown Holland last summer.
A jury in November convicted
Mark Armstrong, 56, of two counts of felonious assault and one count of felony
firearms for the July 25 incident. He was sentenced on Monday, Jan. 13, to two
years in prison for the felony firearm charge and 13 months for felonious
assault, court records state.
Police on the night of the July
incident had attempted to talk to Armstrong about threats he allegedly made to
his ex-girlfriend and acquaintances. Officers received a tip that his vehicle
was in a parking lot at Ninth Street and College Avenue, where police said
Armstrong approached and ran while flashing a gun.
During a brief foot chase,
police said Armstrong turned and pointed a .380 handgun at two officers while
pedestrians were near. No one was injured.
Police cornered Armstrong and
he surrendered after 20 minutes of negotiation.
Armstrong in February 2011 was
fired from the Wyoming Police Department for allegedly using two derogatory
terms in reference to African Americans while in a report writing room with
other officers, according to documents previously obtained through a Freedom of
Information Act request. He was a 26-year veteran with the department.
