A man has been arrested in connection to an alleged baseball bat attack last week in Sonoma County.
According to a press release issued by the Petaluma Police Department, authorities responded to a report of an assault involving a baseball bat at Steamer Landing shortly before noon on May 17. The victim, a male individual, sustained minor injuries after being repeatedly struck by another male suspect.
The incident took place while the victim was seated on a park bench, police said.
Responding officers located the victim and initiated an investigation into the matter. The victim recounted that an unknown individual approached him and began assaulting him with a baseball bat. After inflicting several blows, the assailant fled the scene. The victim then contacted emergency services.
Law enforcement officials were able to identify the suspect as 41-year-old Jason Weiland. Initial attempts to locate Weiland were unsuccessful, police said.
Late that night, officers from the Community Impact Response Team were conducting routine patrols in the vicinity of Steamer Landing. The CIRT officers, while investigating encampments reported by community members, reportedly discovered Weiland in the company of an second individual whose identity has not been released.
Weiland was taken into custody without incident by the CIRT officers. It was unclear at press time whether he had retained an attorney.
Following his arrest, Weiland was transported to Sonoma County jail, where he was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. The motive behind the attack is still under investigation, and authorities are appealing to any witnesses or individuals with information regarding the incident to come forward and contact Officer Nagi at pnagi@cityofpetaluma.org or via phone at 707-778-4372.
As the investigation unfolds, authorities are maintaining an objective and neutral stance while striving to uncover the circumstances that led to this assault. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
