Hemet police officer charged with using excessive force during arrest

A Hemet Police Department officer who allegedly caused serious injuries to a female suspect he was attempting to arrest in late July was charged with a trio of felonies, authorities said Friday.

Officer Jacob Hobson was charged Thursday with assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury and two counts of assault by a peace officer under color of authority, with sentencing enhancement allegations that the assault caused great bodily injury leading to a significant brain injury.

Hobson has been placed on administrative leave, according to Hemet police.

According to police and the sheriff’s department, which helped investigate the matter, on July 23, Hobson approached a group of people behind a gas station on the 1700 block of West Florida Avenue and determined a female in the group had an outstanding felony warrant.

“The officer initiated an arrest. However, the female initially resisted his efforts to place her in handcuffs,” according to the police department. “A subsequent use of force occurred, and the woman was seriously injured while being taken into custody.”

The nature of the victim’s felony warrant was not disclosed, and her name was not released.

Arrest warrant documents were sealed Friday because, according to a declaration and request for an order to seal, the case is expected to generate significant news coverage and information contained in the documents could compromise or make it difficult for the investigation to continue if made public.

Hobson’s arraignment was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Banning Justice Center.