Salisbury Police officer accused of breaking into home, assaulting 2 people, cops say

A Salisbury Police officer is facing a series of charges in connection with March 13 home break in, including assault on a female and interfering with a 911 call, according to a release from the Salisbury Police Department.

Officer Malik Byrd turned himself in Sunday and has been placed on paid leave “pending further inquiry by the SPD Professional Standards Unit,” the department said in a news release.

The department said the incident occurred when the Byrd was off duty late Saturday. He has been with the department since 2018, the release said.

The charges were filed by the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office and include: “one count of breaking and entering; one count of simple assault; one count of assault on a female, and one count of interfering with calling 911,” officials said.

“SPD is fully cooperating with the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office in their investigation of this incident,” the release said.

Byrd is accused of breaking “into a home off Wilcoy Road in Rockwell around 10 p.m. Saturday with the intention of hurting one person,” according to a warrant obtained by the Observer’s news partner WBTV.

He allegedly punched a man in the home, and “grabbed a woman by the arm, pulling and pushing her,” the station reported. He then grabbed her phone as she called 911 for help, the station said.