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Sexual Battery Suspect Resists Arrest By Throwing Blades At Officers, Setting Fire To Shipping Container

STOCKTON (CBS13) — Stockton Unified School District police arrested a male transient on a charge of sexual battery after he allegedly attacked a female student at Weber Institute High School.

The female student was outside the school building and on school grounds when the transient grabbed her and then took off.

Bernardo Soto is a classmate. "I was worried for her," Soto said. "It could've happened to one of my friends, close friends."

The Stockton Unified School District issued a statement reading: "All of us will be feeling a variety of emotions, including shock, sadness, and anger. I want you to know that we at Stockton Unified School District care about the emotions our students may be experiencing."

The suspect left the campus and police chased him through the downtown neighborhood until they ended up underneath Interstate 5 at Washington and Lincoln Streets, and the suspect spotted a shipping container.

READ: New Suspect In 1985 El Dorado Hills Murder Case Appears In Juvenile Court

The suspect barricaded himself in a container, found some metal saw blades inside and threw them at the Stockton Unified School District police officers. Stockton Police were then called in for backup.

He then set fire to the inside of the container. He was finally arrested after police used a bean bag shotgun on him.

Homeless encampments are common sights in this section of downtown Stockton.

The Stockton Unified School District has its own police department but a spokesperson did not know whether an officer was assigned to Weber Institute when the attack took place. The school plans to have extra security for the rest of the week.

A high school student attacked by a transient on school grounds. Prompting a new lesson in safety and security.

Police say transient, 41-year-old Alfredo Hernandez Salas, was taken to a hospital for treatment before he gets booked into the San Joaquin County Jail.

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