SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was sentenced today to seven years in state prison for assaulting an on-duty Huntington Beach Police Department (HBPD) officer by knocking the officer to the ground and repeatedly hitting and kicking him. Bryce Headrick, 23, Huntington Beach, pleaded guilty on March 17, 2016, to one felony count of aggravated assault on a peace officer, one misdemeanor count of resisting and obstructing another officer, and a sentencing enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury.

Bryce Headrick's father, Darryl Headrick, 58, Huntington Beach, was also at the scene and is charged with one felony count of aggravated assault on a peace officer, one misdemeanor count of resisting and obstructing another officer, and a sentencing enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of eight years in state prison and one year in jail. Darryl Headrick is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on June 27, 2016, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-49, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.

Bryce Headrick is convicted of and Darryl Headrick is accused of the following:

At approximately 11:20 p.m. on Feb. 9, 2016, Bryce Headrick was riding a bicycle near Beach Boulevard and Clay Avenue in Huntington Beach. A HBPD officer conducted a stop on Bryce Headrick for a traffic violation. As the officer was talking to Bryce Headrick, his father, Darryl Headrick, is accused of approaching the officer from behind and assaulting the officer. Both defendants are accused of punching the officer, knocking him to the ground, and continuing to punch and kick the officer in the head and body. At some point during the assault, the officer lost consciousness. Both defendants then fled the scene on their bicycles.

HBPD officers located Darryl Headrick near the crime scene and arrested him. Bryce Headrick was located and arrested several hours later near his home. The officer was transported to University of California, Irvine Medical Center and treated for non-life threatening injuries, including a concussion. HBPD investigated this case.

At Bryce Headrick's sentencing today, the officer delivered an impact statement pursuant to Marsy's Law. The officer talked about the tremendous impact the crime has had on him as an officer and on his family. He went on to describe how hard it has been for his daughter, who was doing a ride-along with him that evening and witnessed the attack.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Robert Mestman is prosecuting this case.

*Defendant's father is also charged in this case

Orange County District Attorney / Case # 16WF0313 / May 20, 2016