Harold Howard, who appeared at UFC 3 and UFC 7 during his brief mixed martial arts career, faces two counts of attempted murder after he allegedly assaulted two people at a Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, residence, then drove his vehicle into the Fallsview Casino.
Howard, 51, the subject of a Sherdog.com feature in February, was also charged with two counts of assault with a weapon, attempted break and enter, fail to remain, flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, mischief and two counts breach of recognizance.
The Niagara Falls Review reported that officers drew their guns on Howard before taking him into custody. He was taken to Greater Niagara General Hospital for treatment of his injuries, the extent of which were not immediately known.
Police later attempted to stop the vehicle in question, but the driver refused. Officers continued their pursuit, the report said, due to the serious nature of earlier events. Their pursuit ended when Howard -- “intentionally,” according to the report -- drove his truck into the casino at approximately 2 a.m. on Tuesday.
“Thank God it wasn't a Friday night,” Niagara Regional Police Staff Sgt. Shawn Clarkson told The Review. “We were extremely fortunate not more people were around. A couple of people had to duck out of the way, but we could [have] had some real serious problems there if it had been a few hours earlier or another day.”
According to the police report, a man, believed to be Howard, was involved in a dispute at a Niagara Falls residence that resulted in assaults with an unidentified weapon on a male and female victim. The perpetrator then fled the scene in his vehicle and “attended another residence” on the north end of the city, where he collided with a vehicle in the driveway. The male, the report reads, then fled that residence, as well. The victims of the initial assault were taken to the hospital, where they were being treated for serious but non life-threatening injuries.
