CHP arrests man who struck officer inside Capitol
June 20, 2011
Rich Pedroncelli/Associated PressGov. Jerry Brown pauses for a final question as he leaves a Capitol news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, June 13, 2011. Brown was joined by a coalition of business, education and community leaders calling on GOP legislators to approve Brown's plan for a special election to allow voters to decide whether to extend tax increases to helpo eliminate a $9.6 billion state budget deficit.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. and#8212; The California Highway Patrol has arrested a man who has made repeated attempts to contact Gov. Jerry Brown after he assaulted an officer inside the Capitol.
Eric Ball of Sacramento suffered minor injuries after he punched a CHP officer in the eye just before noon Monday near the Capitol’s north entrance.
Sgt. Rick Campbell of CHP’s Capitol Protective Services says officers wrestled with him and fired a stun gun.
Last week, officers escorted Ball from the Capitol after he began yelling incoherently outside Brown’s office. He has returned several times without incident, but officers confronted him Monday because he ignored them when they asked about his plans.
Campbell says the CHP arrested Ball, who is 38, for resisting arrest and battery.
The officer suffered a bruise but returned to work.
