Footage of the incident provided by a reader.
A 31-year-old man from Madison, Wisconsin was arrested for felony vandalism and resisting arrest near the Arcata Plaza early this morning after officers made multiple attempts to bring him into custody with PepperBall rounds, a taser and pepper spray.
Arcata Police Department Sgt. Keith Altizer told the Outpost that officers attempted to detain Assan Bayo on the Plaza after he reportedly hit several people with a glass bottle and threw a woman to the ground multiple times at approximately 1:15 a.m.
“He was uncooperative with the officer and they followed behind him for multiple city blocks,” Altizer said. “He was walking a dog at one point. He then took the dog off the leash and hit a police car and an additional vehicle with the leash, causing damage by swinging metal part as a weapon.”
The incident was caught on camera by a concerned citizen in Hotel Arcata. In the video, Bayo can be seen walking north on G Street as pursuing officers attempt to bring him into custody. Someone, possibly Bayo, can also be heard yelling at officers to “shoot!” However, Altizer could not confirm if Bayo was telling officers to shoot him.
“Stop now or you’re gonna get PepperBalled!” an officer can be heard shouting at Bayo before hitting him with the pepper-spray projectile weapon in a nearby alleyway.
Altizer said that the PepperBall rounds and a taser were both ineffective in bringing the suspect into custody. Officers with the Humboldt State University Department and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office were called to the scene to help make the arrest.
“When additional officers were able to arrive on scene, pepper spray was used and they were able to overcome the resting subject and take him into custody,” Altizer said.
Bayo was transferred to Mad River Community Hospital for pepper spray treatment and was ultimately booked into the Humboldt County Jail.