Police: Man used knife to harm self, assault officers

A Porterville man is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail for allegedly assaulting police officers with a knife he used to harm himself.

The incident happened at about 7:25 p.m. Tuesday in the 1700 block of West Olive Avenue.

The Porterville Police Department reports that when officers arrived on scene, they found 25-year-old Oscar Martinez in the bathroom of his home suffering from multiple self-inflicted lacerations to his chest and in possession of a knife.

Police said Martinez reportedly ignored multiple commands by officers to drop the knife and at one point, lunged toward the officers forcing them to tase him.

Martinez was taken into custody without further incident and later taken to Sierra View District Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.

He was later booked into the Tulare County Jail where he is being held on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on an officer and on suspicion of exhibiting a deadly weapon to prevent arrest.

None of the officers were injured during the incident.