Man charged with smashing register with ax, biting cop

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Authorities say a New Jersey police officer was bitten by a man who used an ax to smash a gas station cash register while demanding lottery tickets.

Assistant Mercer County Prosecutor John Boyle told The Associated Press that Anthony Hunter, 39, of Trenton, rushed at and bit an officer after police tried to arrest him at a Lukoil station in Ewing.

Prosecutors say Hunter smashed the register with an ax and demanded that workers fill a bag with scratch-off lottery tickets before he ran from the station. He was arrested Monday and charged with two counts of robbery.

It’s unclear whether the officer was hurt.

Hunter’s attorney tells NJ.com that his client maintains his innocence. The newspaper reports that Hunter was being held on a combined $350,000 bail.