A 23-year-old Woodland man was jailed Tuesday after allegedly attacking a motorcycle officer in what police are calling a “spontaneous crime of opportunity.”
Sgt. Steve Guthrie said the assault occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. on East Main Street near Industrial Way, where the unidentified officer had just conducted a traffic stop.
“As the officer was dismounting the police motorcycle, he noticed a subject walking down the sidewalk toward the area of the stop,” Guthrie said in a news release. “When the officer began to approach the stopped vehicle, the pedestrian approached him from his blind side, and punched the officer on the right side of his head.”
Guthrie said the officer’s helmet absorbed the blow from the suspect, who fled northbound across East Main Street and was nearly struck by a big rig as he headed toward Industrial Way.
The officer, who was not injured, radioed for help before pursuing the suspect on his motorcycle. A second officer responded, and both policemen apprehended the suspect in front of the YoloBus offices, Guthrie said.
Identified as Daniel Thomas Milliman, the suspect was taken to Woodland Memorial Hospital for treatment of a cut to the side of his mouth — which he apparently sustained during the arrest — before being lodged at the Yolo County Jail.
Guthrie said Milliman faces charges of obstructing a peace officer, a felony, and violating the terms of his probation from an earlier conviction.