By Jane Prendergast
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Cincinnati Police Spc. Dawn Hill, police dog Cisco and Officer Brad Smith sweep the area around Bassett Road and Elberon Avenue in Price Hill (Craig Ruttle photos) | ZOOM |

Dozens of police officers swarmed an area of Price Hill on Monday, looking for a man who hit a Delhi Township officer in the head with a rock.

The officer was looking for a man wanted for an aggravated burglary in which a rifle was stolen when he was attacked by two men about 3:20 p.m. near the intersection of Crestline Avenue and Bassett Road. The officer, who was taken to a hospital, was not identified.

Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher got involved in the search, ordering officers from Districts 1 and 5 to help take calls in the area so District 3 could focus on the search for the two men who attacked the officer.

An ambulance transports a Delhi Township police officer from the scene in Price Hill where he was hit in the head by a rock. | ZOOM |

He told a dispatcher: "They are to spare no resources for catching these guys.''

After the assault, officers were looking for David Blackmon, 20, of Crestline Avenue and another black male described as 5-foot-8, 170 pounds and wearing a gray shirt. They were last seen walking south on Crestline.

Mr. Blackmon went to prison in 2001 for stealing a car in Delhi, according to court records, and was sentenced to one day in jail in September for possession of marijuana. He has been wanted since a burglary Dec. 30 on Beechmeadow Lane in Delhi in which police said he kicked in the door and stole a German rifle while the 80-year-old resident was sleeping.

E-mail jprendergast@enquirer.com