Police: ‘Combative’ man attacks officers, hospital workers

A transient allegedly attacked two Costa Mesa police officers and two hospital employees Wednesday night after he refused to cooperate with law enforcement.

Police responded to a call around 10 p.m. about a man yelling and cursing in the 200 block of Cabrillo Avenue in Costa Mesa.

When officers arrived they found the man, who said he’d been “sparring” with a transient woman, Costa Mesa police Sgt. Brent McKinley said.

Officers said they sat the man down on the curb, but he stood up and lunged at one of them.

“He was extremely combative,” said McKinley, who identified the suspect as Jason Beverly, 39, of Costa Mesa.

Police said officers had to wrestle Beverly into custody and eventually use a Taser on him, and even that didn’t subdue the man despite causing minor injuries.

“They couldn’t get him into a police car, so they had to have him transported to Hoag Hospital in an ambulance,” McKinley said.

While being treated at the Newport Beach hospital, Beverly assaulted two medical workers, McKinley said.

Police said they don’t know if or how badly the hospital staffers were hurt, but one of the police officers injured his back. The woman Beverly allegedly “sparred” with was unhurt.

Beverly was booked on suspicion of battery on a police officer.

He remains in Orange County Jail on $20,000 bail.