Man arrested for allegedly punching Salinas police officer

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) Salinas police say a man has been arrested for assaulting an officer.

Officers responded to the Safeway on Constitution Boulevard at around 9:50 p.m. Thursday after two people reported seeing a man with a knife. When they arrived, they said they tried to contact the suspect, but when he saw the officers, he ran out the door on the opposite side.

Police said the officers chased the man and saw him discard a knife. When they caught him and tried to arrest him, the officers said he started fighting it and punched one of the officers in the face. He was eventually arrested.

The people who originally reported the suspect were not immediately found because police said they had already left the store.

During the investigation, the officers learned that another officer was investigating the man as a suspect in a restraining order violation case.

He was booked into the Monterey County Jail on resisting and assaulting a police officer charges as well as violation of a restraining order.