A Turlock man under the influence of methamphetamine attacked several police officers when they attempted to take him into custody Thursday afternoon.
The scuffle between Paul Tereshchenko, 35, and Turlock police officers left a couple of officers with minor injuries, none of which needed hospitalization to treat, said Turlock Police Capt. Jeff Lopes.
Tereshchenko was placed in the care of a local hospital and is facing arrest on multiple assault charges when released.
The incident began around 3 p.m. Thursday when officers were dispatched to the 2200 block of Julie Avenue after Tereshchenko’s family members reported him acting oddly, including hitting himself.
The first officers to arrive found Tereshchenko in a running shower, fully clothed. The officers asked Tereshchenko to come out, but he refused and when they opened the shower door, he began fighting with them, according to the police report.
Tereshchenko kept up his struggle with the officers through the house and into the front yard. At one point Tereshchenko is alleged to have picked up a river rock, weighing about eight pounds, and chucked it at one of the officers.
“Luckily, he missed,” Lopes said.
Officers used pepper spray and a Taser on Tereshchenko, but neither stopped him and it eventually took about a half dozen officers to hold him down and get him into restraints.
According to the police report, Tereshchenko appeared to be having “an episode due to methamphetamine use.”
Thursday’s altercation was the second time officers had made contact with Tereshchenko in the same day. Earlier in the morning officers responded to the area of W. Tuolumne Road and Dels Lane for a report of a disturbance. Officers made contact with Tereshchenko and his girlfriend Diana Isayeva, 27. Isayeva was allegedly in possession of methamphetamine and arrested.
Tereshchenko could be arrested on felony assault on an officer and felony assault with a deadly weapon.