Sterling Bland, an Oakland transient, boarded an Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District bus at 30th Street and Telegraph Avenue at about 6:30 p.m. He almost immediately began to threaten the bus driver, Sgt. J.D. Nelson said.
The driver called authorities and a sheriff's deputy responded to the area.
The deputy escorted Bland from the bus at which point a scuffle ensued and both men reportedly fell to the ground. The deputy's arm was broken during the melee, Nelson said. The suspect was not injured and got up and fled with the injured deputy chasing him.
"The deputy caught both his (Bland's) jacket and shirt, but the suspect essentially ran out of his clothes," Nelson said. The suspect then jumped a fence into a yard and eluded the deputy.
Members of the sheriff's office and the Oakland Police Department set up a tight perimeter in the area and were able to locate the suspect hiding in bushes just after 8 p.m., Nelson said.
"He was shirtless hiding in the bushes, which makes sense because the deputy pulled his shirt and coat off as he was running away," Nelson said.
Bland was booked on charges including assaulting a deputy, according to Nelson.
