Man arrested after head-butting West Richland officer

West Richland police arrested a transient after he allegedly assaulted an officer and kept darting out into traffic last week.

Ryan Bravo, 26, was seen about 10 p.m. Aug. 5 near the Richland and West Richland border on Tomich Avenue wandering on the roadway in dark clothing, police said. West Richland officers approached him on the 4500 block of Keene Road and warned him to stay out of the road.

But Bravo apparently ignored the warning and police approached him again, then held him down. He then butted his head back into one of the officers.

After being put into a patrol car, Bravo started to spit and hit his head against the car’s partition, which cut his forehead.

Officers took him to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland to be treated for minor injuries, then booked him into Benton County jail on investigative holds for third-degree assault and disorderly conduct.

“It’s amazing he wasn’t run over,” said Capt. Ben Majetich of West Richland police. “One of those cases of protecting someone from themselves.”

Bravo previously lived with his mother in Richland but has no current home address, Majetich said.

The officer was not seriously hurt.

This story was originally published August 9, 2016 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Man arrested after head-butting West Richland officer."