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1:31 a.m. • 2-11-12

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Disturbance leads to Raleigh cop's arrest


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A.R. Caruana, officer charged in domestic case
A.R. Caruana, officer charged in domestic case

Raleigh police responding to a call about a domestic dispute Tuesday morning later arrested an off-duty fellow officer and charged him with assault, including pointing a gun, officials disclosed Wednesday.

At about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, officers answered a call about a domestic-related disturbance in the 10800 block of Heather Meadow Lane at the Columns at Wakefield, an upscale apartment complex, police said.



"As a result of the investigation stemming from that call," Senior Officer A.R. Caruana, 32, was taken into custody Tuesday evening at police headquarters, they said in a statement. It was Caruana's wife who reported the assault at the apartment complex, according to the police report. Another Raleigh man was listed as a victim.

Caruana was charged with assault, assault by pointing a gun and communicating threats and was transported to the Wake County jail.

Caruana was off duty at the time of the incident, and his department-issued weapon was not involved in the matter, Police Chief Harry Dolan said in a statement.

Neighbors with whom WRAL News spoke said Caruana was a likable person.

"He was a nice guy. He was a good guy,” neighbor Azi Eshraghi said.

They also said Caruana loved his job, but was going through a rough time and that he and his wife had separated.

"They had some problems and things like that,” neighbor Mehran Charkhesht said.

Caruana joined the Raleigh Police Department on June 4, 2000, and holds the rank of senior officer. He was most recently assigned to the department's Gang Suppression Unit.

In 2003, Caruana shot a an 18-year-old suspect whom police said charged at Caruana and another officer with a knife. The suspect was later charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a government officer.

Tuesday's dispute that led to the charges was not related to Caruana’s law enforcement duties, Dolan said.

An administrative process will determine the department’s appropriate course of action from a personnel standpoint, the chief said. He did not say whether Caruana has been suspended. However, in situations such as this, officers are typically placed on administrative duty, a police official said.

Caruana was no longer being held in the Wake County Jail and could not be reached for comment Wednesday evening.

RELATED TOPICS: North Raleigh, Raleigh, Wake County, Wakefield Plantation

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68 Comments


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Everyone is under stress these days, and like it has been already said, who knows what really went on to put him over the edge like this.

hrizzuto2... Really?? You sound so pious!! You have absolutely no idea what went on in that apartment nor what the background is to the story. I realize that you may THINK you know b/c you have seen the guy once or twice "coming into the complex with his kids" or seen his X by the pool, but if you personally knew the individual that was assaulted, you would know that it was an unprovoked assault. If you knew him personally you would also know how the situation was "handled".

Something else I think all should know is that this couple had been seperated for well over a year and the relationship was "strained" at best, so before you start giving him credit for "protecting his territory", maybe you should get a clue and realize these types of scenarios happen more often than you realize and usually turn out a lot worse.

Who cares what the guy did. Ya know, If he did walk in on her with another man int he house.. That's what the guy gets. Chances are she was trying to hold him back from kicking the snot out of the "boyfriend" and she claimed he hit her. I live in the apartments that this girl does. And this isn't stuff that is typical for our community. And I would honestly hope that if I got caught doing stuff like she was claimed to be doing.. my man would do the same thing. You wait until you're divorced before you start messing around with some other guy. Plain and simple. She has kids and is already having other men around them? yeah, what does that say about her character? And He can't be that bad of a guy if I see him DAILY coming in the complex to drop his kids off from school while she's at the pool "tanning". Ya know there are two sides to a story and Im willing to bet we are getting to "semi-truthful"part. We aren't hearing what she did.

Bretth, where did you get your info from? And wakemom, who injects race into everything? I thought the election of Obama would be the end of any race problems. After all, he is the great orator that brings everyone together. If the officer is found guilty then hammer away, but until then,no one knows the entire story but the officer and the other guy involved. I just hope the other guy involved isn't black, oh the outrage that would cause! buckos18

evidently you werent online yesterday during the topic i am speaking of. so yeah i still stand by what i mean

Horrible situation all around. It doesnt matter if they are divorced, seperated, or whatever. When the heart and emotions are involved it can get spooky real fast. Im not here to support or crucify the officer if he did what he's charged with then he should be delt with accordingly. Its got nothing to do with the fact he's a cop but that seems to be the issue. Everyone who has left a posting on this board has lost it to some degree when it comes to matters of the heart so ease up. The cop issue isnt the issue the assault(s) are. So what if he's a cop its probably the only thing that saved that guys life. If would have been some joe blow with a gun the guy would probably be at wake med right now with a sucking chest wound. Oh how quick we judge each other! Just because the guy lost over his wife or ex with another dude has nothing NOTHING to do with how he was as a cop. And I did say was a cop because evryone here knows that his career is over. As I stated before horrible situation.

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