On the Street

Calif. Police Officer Takes Face Full of Bear Spray from Fleeing Cyclist

June 21, 2022

A man wanted on two felony warrants doused a Fairfield police officer with bear repellant and scuffled with him for five minutes before police were able to subdue and take the suspect into custody.

By Helena Wegner

Source The Charlotte Observer

Fairfield, CA, police seized a Ramset powder actuated nailer—with a .22 caliber round inside it, so it could be used like a pistol—from a man wanted on two felony who became confrontational with an officer Saturday, dousing his face with bear spray.

A 29-year-old man sprayed an officer in the face with bear spray as he tried to flee, police said.

An officer tried to stop the man who was riding his bicycle around 9:45 p.m. Saturday, June 18, in Fairfield, police said in a Facebook post.

Police said the man wouldn’t cooperate with the officer and became confrontational.

When the officer tried to arrest the man, he pulled out a can of bear spray and deployed it over his shoulder, police said.

The officer got a face full of the spray, police said. Then the officer used a TASER, but the two continued to struggle for five minutes, police said.

Other officers helped take the man into custody.

In addition to bear deterrent, officers found a Ramset powder actuated nailer on the man. The tool is used to shoot nails into hard surfaces like concrete.

The man’s tool had a .22 caliber round inside of it and could be used like a pistol, police said. It’s known as a zip gun or improvised firearm.

The man had two felony warrants out for his arrest in Solano County before he was taken into custody on eight additional felonies.

“We are extremely grateful Officer Kimball sustained limited injuries,” police said in the post.

Fairfield is about 40 miles southwest of Sacramento.

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