Suspected Camp Fire looter arrested after punching deputy in the face

SACRAMENTO – Two suspected looters in wildfire-ravaged Magalia, Calif., were arrested Saturday evening after one got in a fistfight with a Butte County deputy.

David Eugene Blood, 52, was arrested on suspicion of battery on an officer, possessing a loaded, concealed firearm in his car and possessing an open container, among other offenses, while Kenneth Zimmerman, 51, was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication, according to a news release issued by the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.

The men were seen near the ruins of the Discount Liquor Store, which was destroyed in November by the Camp Fire. Blood was seen walking out of the rubble with “property obviously stolen from the business,” the Sheriff’s Office said.

Blood and Zimmerman were recognized by the responding deputies from prior contacts, according to the release.

Deputies searched Blood’s car and found a loaded .45-caliber handgun in a backpack, according to the release.

Law enforcement later learned Blood was under a restraining order and was prohibited from possessing a gun or ammunition, according to the release.

As deputies tried to detain Blood, he punched one in the face, threatening to kill them, according to the release.

After a short fight with Blood, he and Zimmerman were arrested and booked into the Butte County jail, according to the release.

Blood and the deputy he punched were taken to a hospital for medical treatment. The deputy suffered an injury to his hand, according to the release.