Shots Fired in Air Scare Off Bloomfield Man Who Said He Wanted to Rape Woman: Police

A Bloomfield man’s aggressive behavior toward a woman escalated to the point where he said he wanted to rape her and the woman’s father intervened, then fired gunshots into the air to get the man to leave his daughter alone, according to Bloomfield police.

Police said officers who responded to Mitchell Drive around 1:15 p.m. Thursday to investigate reports of a disturbance involving a gun seized the gun and arrested a man.

They identified the suspect as 43-year-old Michael Ferrigon, who they said has a history with the Bloomfield Police Department because of mental health issues and drug abuse.

He got into a 30-year-old woman’s car and started telling her he “loved her, wanted to have her and wanted to marry her,” police said.

She was frightened when Ferrigon grabbed her wrists as she was trying to get out of the car and shouted about “having her” and marrying her, so she started beeping the horn for help but she was able to break free and run, police said.

Ferrigon followed the woman and her father confronted him.

During the altercation, Ferrigon was reported to have been saying that he wanted to rape the woman, police said.

Police described Ferrigon as a large man -- 6 feet tall and 385 pounds – and said the woman’s father yelled for his wife to get his .44 caliber revolver, then he fired two shots into the air and told Ferrigon that he didn’t what to have to shoot him.

Farrigon ran to his own home and police found him in his driveway.

Authorities said he was resistant but passive at first and police took out a stun gun but did not use it.

They took Farrigon into custody and he was charged with unlawful restraint in the first degree, criminal attempt of sexual assault in the first degree,

criminal attempt of home invasion, second-degree threatening, third-degree assault, disorderly conduct and interfering with an officer.

No charges have been filed against the man who fired the revolver. Police said detectives spoke with the State’s Attorney Office and were advised that criminal charges for the father would not be applicable.

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