Man arrested after allegedly attacking vehicles, CHP officer in Coulterville
A man accused of striking passing vehicles with a baseball bat and assaulting a California Highway Patrol officer was arrested after an overnight search near Coulterville, authorities said.
According to CHP , officers from the Sonora area responded around 12:49 p.m. Wednesday to reports of a man hitting vehicles on State Route 49, just south of State Route 132.
A CHP officer arrived on scene and identified the suspect as 49-year-old Moises Gutierrez Mares of Hawthorne, authorities said. Investigators say Mares was also attempting to enter uninvolved vehicles that were driving past the area.
As the officer attempted to take Mares into custody, officials said the suspect physically assaulted the officer, causing minor injuries, before fleeing on foot into a wooded area.
CHP conducted a search with assistance from the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office, including the use of a drone, and K-9 units from the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office. The search was later discontinued due to darkness, and the suspect remained at large overnight.
At approximately 6:50 a.m. Thursday, CHP was notified that Mares had been located outside a structure on private property near the area where he fled. Officers responded and took him into custody.
Mares was booked into the Mariposa County Jail on felony charges, CHP said. Additional details about the charges were not immediately released.
