Woman arrested for assaulting Fresno officer has past run-in with authorities
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Police are reviewing a cellphone video after it appears to show a woman physically assaulting a female officer
"The officer had a barrage of punches and just to give you an idea, she has numerous contusions, a cut to the middle of her head and a lot of bruising," says Lt. Tim Tietjen with the Fresno Police Dept.
The altercation happened Tuesday at around 5:30 p.m. on Parkway near Belmont in Central Fresno. The suspect has been identified as 22-year-old Dontrea Castro
According to investigators, the officer spotted what she believed to be a prostitution deal. When the officer tried to arrest Castro, the suspect resisted and began fighting back
"All indications right now show that the officer acted appropriately within her training, and her response was objectively reasonable," says Joey Alvarez with the Fresno Police Dept.
Investigators claim the officer showed a great amount of restraint while being violently assaulted.
What we don't see in the video is the officer firing a warning shot in the air to get Castro to comply, but that didn't work. After calling for back up the suspect was eventually taken into custody.
"Warning shots are allowed in very limited circumstances where physical force can also be used," Alvarez said. "The whole point of the warning shot is to avoid lethal force or serious force against an offender."
The officer was treated at the hospital but has since been released.
According to Fresno Police, officers have stepped up patrols in the area after getting numerous complaints of criminal activity. including prostitution taking place along Parkway
"We have a community that's asked us to help our victims," Alvarez said. "She witnessed a crime and had probable cause. And because of that, she went to make an arrest, doing her job."
This was not the suspects first run-in with the law.
She was arrested in 2016 for assault with a deadly weapon, in which she attacked someone with a knife.
