Gaithersburg man sentenced to 21 years in prison for beating multiple police officers

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — A man has been sentenced to more than two decades behind bars for a violent assault on several Montgomery County police officers last year. A judge handed down the sentence on Wednesday. 

Jermaine Palmer, 36, was sentenced to 21 years in prison following his June 30, 2023, arrest. 

On that day, Montgomery County Police officers were called to the 7900 block of Spiceberry Circle in Gaithersburg for a report of a man spraying a fire extinguisher in the hallway of an apartment building and banging on doors. A girl also told police the man was briefly inside her apartment, according to an incident report. 

When officers got on scene, they approached Palmer, who would not identify himself, but told officers he was visiting someone in the building. When the responding officers tried to take him into custody, Palmer punched one of the officers in the face. The officer fell back and hit his head on the pavement, causing him to lose consciousness. The officer was treated for serious injuries.

Palmer took off toward Flower Hills Shopping Center, where he assaulted another officer before police were able to take him into custody inside of a fast-food restaurant. 

Back in August, Palmer was found guilty of several charges, including first-degree assault, second-degree assault on law enforcement, second-degree assault, resisting arrest, and drug possession.