Man Accused Of Punching Police Officer In Downtown OKC

An Oklahoma City police officer is recovering after he was punched in the face at a downtown Oklahoma City bank.

This all happened just before noon Monday at the Bank of America in Leadership Square.

Police said a man walked in, closed his account and then started arguing with the management at the bank, but it's what happened next that sent him to jail.

"It was pretty crazy, it stopped everybody from what they were doing, said Christopher Childs, who was working inside the Ground Floor Cafe at Leadership Square when he noticed the scuffle. "You just seen a lot of commotion and everybody that was in here that was eating lunch actually stopped so yeah it was a big deal."

Police said Eric Maxwell, 34, of Oklahoma City, was asked to leave the Bank of America branch after getting into that argument, and the staff called police just in case he came back.

Turns out, he did. When the responding officer told him to leave, fists started flying.

Police say the officer was James Herlihy, 46, with the Springlake Division. He was taken to the hospital where he was treated and released. A use of force investigation is underway.

"I just know he suffered multiple blows to the face and some scratches to the face," said Oklahoma City police Capt. Paco Balderrama.

The attack on Herlihy sent all nearby officers to the scene to try to subdue Maxwell, cuff him and take him to jail.

News 9 checked jail records and discovered Maxwell was arrested for disorderly conduct in 2012 and for a theft in 2014.

He is in the Oklahoma County jail and is accused of assault and battery on an officer. He is awaiting bond.