A man is facing felony assault charges after he caused a ruckus — which included allegedly attempting to break into an apartment complex, assaulting a person inside a store and assaulting two officers who tried to arrest him — in Chehalis Tuesday morning.
A Lewis County Superior Court judge set bail for the defendant, Mario Rodriguez, 29, of Chehalis, at $10,000 during a preliminary hearing on Thursday where Rodriguez was charged with two counts of third-degree assault.
The judge also referred Rodriguez to Western State Hospital for a competency evaluation after his attorney expressed concerns about his mental capacity to understand the charges against him and advocate for his own defense.
Police first made contact with Rodriguez on Market Boulevard after a caller reported he was trying to get into an apartment complex on Cascade Avenue at approximately 9:40 a.m. on July 12.
Rodriguez left the apartment complex before law enforcement arrived and the caller reportedly followed Rodriguez as he walked near the 600 block of North National Avenue.
Rodriguez was described in court documents and police logs as a “disorderly subject” who was wearing shorts with no shirt and no shoes.
Rodriguez had reportedly “dumped … trash cans all over the place” and was allegedly “lunging at people” near the farmers market on Boistfort Street, according to police call logs.
As Rodriguez hadn’t committed a crime, officers allowed him to leave after their first contact on Market Street. A short while later, however, they received another call about Rodriguez’s behavior: “This time it was reported that he had assaulted a person inside a business that was on Main Street,” according to court documents.
Deputy Chief Matthew McKnight of the Chehalis Police Department and other Chehalis police officers arrested Rodriguez in the 600 block of West Main Street for the assault. During the arrest, Rodriguez allegedly “grabbed Dep. Chief McKnight in a headlock … but Dep. Chief McKnight was able to get free on his own,” according to court documents.
Rodriguez then allegedly “began walking away, but was tripped by Dep. Chief McKnight and eventually tased in order to get control of him,” according to court documents. Rodriguez reportedly “struggled with law enforcement, which prevented them from securing handcuffs on him” and allegedly bit a Chehalis sergeant on the arm.
“Rodriguez was eventually able to be detained and was placed under arrest,” according to court documents.
He was booked into the Lewis County Jail at 10:58 a.m. on July 12 on two counts of third-degree assault, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
