Sonora police responded to calls of a man yelling at passing vehicles about 1 p.m. Tuesday on Highway 49, near North Washington Street.
Police said when an officer arrived on scene, the man, identified as Columbia resident Kevin Hepstall, 43, said he was going to kill him. Police said Hepstall charged the officer, ripped off his portable radio and punched him.
At one point, police said, the officer deployed his stun gun, but it did not stop Hepstall. The officer then pulled his service weapon, and backup from the California Highway Patrol arrived.
Hepstall was taken into custody without further incident. Hepstall is on felony probation for assaulting a Tuolumne County deputy sheriff in 2009 and was arrested in 2008 for assaulting another officer.
He was booked Tuesday on suspicion of felony assault on a police officer, felony violation of probation, felony threats and felony theft. The officer sustained minor injuries and refused medical treatment.
Copyright 2012 - The Modesto Bee, Calif.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
