Man Held in Assault on Officer : 3 Drivers Come to Rescue When Motorist Allegedly Turns Violent

A driver stopped for speeding attacked a California Highway Patrol officer Monday on the Antelope Valley Freeway, punching her in the face until two off-duty Burbank police officers and a former bouncer stopped to restrain him, the CHP reported.

The three other motorists, who pulled over when they saw the scuffle on the edge of the freeway, wrestled away her assailant and held him down until more officers arrived to arrest the man.

CHP Officer Amy Bonilla, 28, received facial cuts and bruises in the melee and one of the rescuers suffered a broken wrist.

“They certainly kept her from further harm,” said CHP Chief Edward Gomez.

The detained driver, who had an open bottle of wine and a loaded revolver in his car, has an arrest record for assault and drug offenses, Gomez said.

Bonilla, 28, who fired one shot during the confrontation, was taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital where she was treated and released seven hours after the incident.

Authorities said Bonilla, a highway patrol officer for five years, pulled over Ronald Arnett Coleman, 33, of Palmdale shortly after 8 a.m. when she timed the green Cadillac Coleman was driving at about 80 m.p.h. as it headed north on the freeway.

Coleman--who at 205 pounds weighs nearly twice as much as the officer--was argumentative after she stopped him near the Golden Valley Road off-ramp, Gomez said. Coleman lunged at Bonilla when she attempted to administer a field sobriety test to see if he had been drinking, he said.

“We don’t know what provoked the attack,” Gomez said.

Coleman tried unsuccessfully to pull Bonilla’s baton away from her and began punching her in the face, Gomez said.

Bonilla--who is 5 foot-5-inches and weighs 110 pounds--drew her pistol, firing it once into the pavement. The 5-foot-10-inch Coleman then tried to pull the gun from her grasp, but Bonilla was able to hang onto it, Gomez said.

Coleman “was on top of her and was beating her with his fist” and grabbing for her gun when the three passing motorists stopped to help, he said.

“The first individual was able to collar him around the neck and, with the two other people, wrestle him down,” Gomez said.

Bonilla was able to radio for assistance during the struggle, and the three men restrained Coleman, putting him in Bonilla’s handcuffs, until other officers arrived.

“There was blood all over her uniform and all over the ground,” said an officer on the scene.

Coleman was in custody at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s station in lieu of $500,000 bail and will be charged with attempted murder on a peace officer, Gomez said.

Two of the rescuers, Brent Ambrose, 32, and Jeffrey Campbell, 35, have been Burbank police officers since 1985.

The other was James Arthur Clark, who works as a limousine driver in Lancaster. Clark, the first to come to the officer’s aid, suffered a broken wrist when he slipped while trying to pull Coleman off her.

Clark, 41, said he was driving north on the freeway after running an errand when “I heard the screams and I looked and I saw a black male, leaning over a female CHP officer. He was beating her and she was screaming.”

Clark said he doesn’t usually travel out of Lancaster because he considers Los Angeles “too violent,” but as a former bouncer--he stands 6-feet-5 and weighs 220 pounds--he has broken up fights in the past and was not afraid to pitch in to help the officer.

“Her face was completely covered with blood,” said Clark. “Her face was so swollen and she was shaking.”

Clark said he would take the same action if he came on another such incident. “That’s just the way I was raised. You see someone who needs help, you help,” said Clark. “I wasn’t trying to be a hero.”

Law enforcement officials praised the men, describing their efforts as “invaluable” in saving Bonilla.

“It’s wonderful these citizens came to her aid,” said Gomez. But he also cautioned citizens about becoming involved in dangerous situations that could lead to injury.