Police taser man they say fought with officer after trying to break into Santa Fe Springs apartment with a hammer

A burglary suspect armed with a hammer tried to break into a Santa Fe Springs apartment while children were inside Thursday, then fought with an officer, authorities said. Police used a Taser on the man.

It wasn’t clear how many children were in the apartment at the time of the attempted break-in. A Whittier police spokesman could not be reached for comment on Friday morning.

The incident happened at a complex on the 10900 block of Pioneer Blvd. in Santa Fe Springs around 2 p.m. An officer confronted the suspect who threw the hammer down and charged at the officer, according to a police statement.

“As the officer attempted to detain the subject a fight ensued. During the fight, the subject attempted to remove an officer’s handgun,” the statement said.

Other officers arrived. The suspect was Tased and taken into custody.

Alberto Gonzalez, 47, of Buena Park was arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary, resisting arrest, and attempting to disarm a police officer. He is being held in jail in Los Angeles in lieu of $60,000 bail, which includes a $10,000 drug-related warrant. Police said he will be arraigned Monday, Sept. 9, at Bellflower Superior Court.