Suspect Punches Deputy in Face, Flees

The altercation triggered a large containment near Miraleste Drive Saturday night. The suspect was apprehended in about an hour

A man allegedly punched a reserve deputy in the face in Rancho Palos Verdes then fled on foot, triggering a nearly hour-long search during which he tried to break into several homes to hide, authorities said.

The incident began about 7 p.m. Saturday when the reserve deputy responded to a report of a suspicious person in the 4200 block of Miraleste Drive, according to a sergeant at the Lomita Sheriff's Station.
When he arrived at the location, the deputy spotted a man hanging out under the bushes in the center median. When the deputy tried to question and detain the individual, the suspect responded by punching him in the face. He then took off running, the sergeant said.

Deputies immediately set up a containment and launched a search that included assistance from a sheriff's helicopter unit.

"A helicopter was really essential in this search," the sergeant added. "There's nothing like a bird's eye view, it's almost impossible without a helicopter in this terrain."

The sergeant said the suspect was kicking on residents' doors and hitting windows in an attempt to hide from authorities, "he tried to break into 3 to 5 houses."

Deputies located the suspect on En Rose Avenue at about 7:50 p.m.

The suspect, whose age and name were not immediately released, was under the influence of alcohol and possibly drugs.