A San Diego County sheriff's deputy was hurt Saturday in Encinitas while trying to take a man who was attacking a red-light camera into custody, authorities said.
Deputies received a call about the man attacking the red-light camera with a baseball bat shortly after 2:30 p.m. at the intersection of El Camino Real and Encinitas Boulevard, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
At the same time, a sheriff's deputy was in the area and saw the man, identified as Frederick Gramcko, 53, attacking the camera, sheriff's Det. Adrian Moses said.
The deputy approached Gramcko and ordered him to drop his bat but Gramcko refused. The deputy tried to deploy a stun gun on Gramcko but the device malfunctioned and Gramcko swung the bat at the deputy several times in an attempt to him, Moses said.
The deputy hit Gramcko back with his baton to try and subdue him but the suspect ran from the scene, the detective said. The deputy chased after the suspect.
"When the deputy caught up to the suspect, he turned around and attacked the deputy and a physical altercation between them ensued," he said. "Other deputies arrived on scene and the suspect was ultimately detained and handcuffed."
Gramcko was restrained in the Wrap device — a thick nylon blanket that prevents a suspect from kicking and moving around — and taken to Scripps La Jolla hospital for treatment before being booked into the Vista Detention Facility.
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The deputy was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas for treatment of multiple broken bones, Moses said. He was released as of Sunday.
Gramcko was charged with attempted murder of a peace officer.
