PAINTSVILLE, Ky. — A Johnson County man was arrested early Sunday morning, after a Paintsville resident reported seeing someone breaking into his storage building.

Paintsville Police were called to an address on Pine Street reporting the break-in. The caller reported seeing a man running away with his weedeater, but said he dropped it near Broadway and continued running.

Police found the suspect — later identified as 19-year-old Devin Wells — at a nearby gas station and tried to talk to him, but said he ran away instead. Wells was arrested after a short chase, but that wasn’t the end of the story.

Police say as Wells was being taken to jail, he slipped out of his handcuffs and began kicking on the window to try to break it. The officer pulled over to try to secure him, but said Wells kicked him in the face and struck him several other times in the face and body. He was finally handcuffed again after the officer used pepper spray.

Wells now faces charges of burglary, assaulting an officer, attempted escape, fleeing police and other charges. He is being held in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, in Paintsville.