Kent Police were taking the handcuffs off a man to release him into the custody of his boss when he reportedly used his free arm and open hand to hit an officer in the neck.

Officers arrested the man for investigation of fourth-degree assault. The incident started at about 3:10 a.m. on March 14 in the parking lot of the Taqueria El Riconcito restaurant, 25914 Pacific Highway S., according to the police report.

An officer sat in his marked patrol Chevy Tahoe in the parking lot after responding to a separate incident when a man approached the passenger side of the cop car, opened the door and started speaking in Spanish.

The officer didn’t understand Spanish and told the man to close the door. The man kept the door open until the officer pushed him in the chest away from the vehicle. The officer returned to his Tahoe and parked in another section of the parking lot to observe the man, who then came at a brisk walk back at the officer.

The officer got out of his car and pushed the man away before the man grabbed the car door. The officer shoved the man to the ground and handcuffed him.

Other officers then arrived and police spoke with the restaurant manager who came out and agreed to take her employee back inside and later drive him home. The man admitted to being drunk but denied going near the cop’s car. Police transported the man to the city jail after he struck the officer.

Driving while high

Police arrested a man for investigation of driving under the influence of marijuana after an officer spotted a vehicle reportedly speeding along Kent Kangley Road at about 9:55 p.m. on March 17.

The officer saw a white Chevy Tahoe going about 50 mph in a 35 mph zone and pulled over the vehicle in the 26200 block of Kent Kangley Road, according to the police report.

When the officer spoke to the driver, he noted he could smell burnt marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and saw butts of small cigars in the ashtray. He noted the driver had droopy eyelids and reddened eyes.

The driver said he had smoked some marijuana about an hour earlier and admitted he was high. The man agreed to a field sobriety test and performed a finger dexterity test three times rather than twice as asked by the officer. The man reportedly laughed and smiled throughout the test. He said he should have waited to drive after smoking marijuana but wanted to get home before he fell asleep.

Police received approval from a judge for a warrant to draw a blood sample from the man at the Valley Medical Center in Renton. The officer placed the blood into evidence and requested a toxicological analysis.

The officer cited the man for speeding and failure to have insurance.

Woman keys boyfriend’s car

Officers arrested a woman for investigation of third-degree malicious mischief after she allegedly took a key to scratch her boyfriend’s car during a dispute at about 9:11 p.m. on March 14 on the East Hill.

The officer who responded to the call recognized the pair from a prior incident about a week earlier, according to the police report.

The dispute started at an apartment in the 10800 block of Southeast 239th Street when the woman accused her boyfriend of cheating on her. When the man  left the argument to drive away in his vehicle, the woman reportedly used a key to leave a 7-inch scratch mark on the car.

After driving away, the boyfriend later flagged down a police officer in the 27000 block of 47th Place South to report the incident. The girlfriend told police she just pretended to scratch the vehicle. She claimed the boyfriend had thrown an apple at her vehicle.

The woman also said the dispute started after she saw a text message the man sent to his mother that described her as a “hoe.”