Costa Mesa : Police Officer Arrests Knife-Wielding Man

A knife-wielding man was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon early Sunday after he scuffled with a Costa Mesa officer who was patrolling a bar, police said.

Officer Clay Epperson was making a routine check of The Reef, a bar in the 800 block of West 19th Street, about 1:05 a.m. when he noticed that a man was refusing an employee’s request to leave, Costa Mesa Police Lt. Gary Webster said.

As Epperson approached the two, he noticed the suspect held a knife, Webster said. There was a brief scuffle before Epperson handcuffed the suspect, who was later identified as Francisco Linares Ramirez, 24, of Costa Mesa.

Epperson strained his shoulder during the scuffle, Webster said.