CHULA VISTA, Calif. (CNS) - A man was arrested for allegedly hurling a hammer at a Chula Vista Police Department cruiser stopped at a red light at an intersection in the South Bay city, shattering a window and leaving an officer with minor injuries.
Two officers were inside the marked patrol vehicle at Brisbane Street and North Fourth Avenue in Chula Vista on Aug. 28, at about 3 p.m., when 29-year-old Luis Angel Ortiz rode up on a bicycle and allegedly threw the tool at them before pedaling away, CVPD Sgt. Anthony Molina said.
"Initially, the officers thought shots were being fired at the vehicle but (then) realized that a hammer came crashing through the window," Molina said.
Aided by information from two Caltrans workers who witnessed the alleged crime, officers arrested Ortiz nearby a short time later.
The passenger officer was treated at the scene for superficial cuts inflicted by flying shards of glass, Molina said.
"This violent act could have had tragic consequences," Chula Vista Police Department Chief Roxana Kennedy said. "Our officers put their lives on the line every day to protect this community, and assaults like this are an attack on public safety itself.
"We will not tolerate violence against law enforcement officers, and we are grateful that our officers were not seriously injured."
Ortiz was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion on assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer. He was being held on $50,000 bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
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