Police arrest two in assault case
Men accused of hitting another with ‘softball to cantaloupe’-size rock
Two men were arrested Tuesday night in Longmont after they were suspected of assaulting a man with a large rock in a Conoco parking lot.
David Bunton, 47, will face charges of bond violation, a felony; violation of a protection order, a misdemeanor; possession of drug paraphernalia, a penalty; and first-degree assault, a felony.
Antonio Juan Covarrubias, 32, is facing a felony charge of first degree assault.
Longmont police were dispatched to Safeway Tuesday night after hearing a report of people fighting in the area of of South Pratt Parkway and Ken Pratt Boulevard, according to the arrest report.
After arriving at the scene, Longmont police found two men, who were later identified as David Hernandez, 58, and Covarrubias, “squaring off” in the parking lot, the report states. Officers were able to secure the scene and attend to injuries of the suspects involved, the report states.
Further investigation found that earlier that evening, Covarrubias left the store with Bunton when the two of them approached Hernandez, who at the time, was sitting behind the store near his car, according to the report.
“Tony (Covarrubias) commented (that) the car looked like someone sold drugs out of it and when Hernandez asked him to leave, Tony began getting in his face (and) calling him various homophobic slurs,” the report states.
Covarrubias then spit in Hernandez’s face and then hit him in the head with a “a softball to cantaloupe size rock,” according to the report.
While attempting to retreat, Hernandez pulled out a pocket knife to defend himself, report states. Covarrubias then said he had been stabbed, prompting Bunton to join in the fight.
“At one point they got Hernandez to the ground and were kicking him about the head and chest and stomping on his hand to get the knife,” the report said. “Hernandez was able to get up, possibly after (making) another stabbing motion toward Tony.”
By the time officers arrived and saw Covarrubias and Hernandez, Bunton had left the scene, said Sgt. Jason Malterud with the Longmont Public Safety Department.
“Hernandez was kept at the hospital for unrelated medical injuries,” he said. “He had several broken ribs and lacerations to the face.”
Malterud said Bunton and Covarrubias knew each other but police do not know if they knew Hernandez prior to the incident.
Later that night, officers located Bunton after witnesses reported seeing him walk off toward Safeway, the arrest report states.
Bunton was found by police drinking a Modelo beer — a violation of his protection order.
He also had other open alcohol containers, two meth pipes, an empty jeweler’s baggies and a prescription bottle with no prescription labeled on the bottle, the report states.