A Kansas City man is facing assault charges after allegedly repeatedly hitting a police officer over the head with a metal chair at a downtown grocery store, seriously injuring him.

Jorge I. Arroyo, 39, has been charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action, according to Michael Mansur, a spokesperson for the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.

The alleged attack took place early Sunday morning at Cosentino’s Downtown Market on East 13th Street in Kansas City’s Power & Light district. After store employees told a KCPD police sergeant inside the store that Arroyo had been caught stealing, the sergeant asked Arroyo to leave and started taking his belongings outside the store, Mansur said.

Arroyo allegedly responded by hitting the officer repeatedly in the head with a metal chair, according to Mansur. The officer was off-duty but wearing his KCPD uniform, according to Mansur. Arroyo’s attack was witnessed by several people, Mansur said.

More police arrived at Cosentino’s around 8:15 a.m. to take Arroyo into custody, according to Mansur. He was initially detained at the police station on an investigative hold before the prosecutor’s office handed down charges, according to Capt. Jake Becchina, a Kansas City police spokesperson.

Arroyo is being held in the Jackson County Detention Center, according to inmate records. Charging documents related to Arroyo’s case have not yet been made publicly available, but prosecutors have requested that his bond be set at $150,000.

If convicted, Arroyo’s sentence could be impacted by the fact that law enforcement officers are considered special victims when it comes to assault charges.

The officer’s injuries required hospitalization, Becchina said. They included included deep cuts to the head, which required surgery and 30 stitches, Mansur said.

The officer is expected to be discharged within the next day, according to Becchina.