On seeing the situation, King assisted the driver, his friend, and took belongings out of the car.
As he walked away, Gda Flatley saw King spit in through the open door of the patrol car’s front passenger side.
“He tilted his head to the right and I saw a watery, frothy substance coming from his mouth, which I knew to be spit,” the garda said.
It was directed into the driver’s seat, he added.
He asked King to come back and drew his attention to the saliva on the floor mat. King denied spitting and was arrested.
Families with children were walking and cycling past and had stopped because of the commotion.