BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A man faces over three years in prison after being convicted of punching and kicking a Bakersfield Police Department officer. It happened as the officer was responding to a call of the same man trying to open a victim’s car door.
The Kern County District Attorney’s Office said on October 24, 2025, a Kern County jury found Eric Castro guilty of resisting arrest through force and violence and tampering with a vehicle without the owner’s consent.
The DA’s office said on February 12, 2025, an officer with the Bakersfield Police Department responded to a call from a business located on Ming Avenue and Stine Road. The victim told the responding officer that she was getting out her vehicle when Eric Castro walked directly towards her, saying something she could not understand.
According to the DA’s office, when Castro dropped his phone, the victim ran into the business and locked her car with her electronic key fob. Castro pulled on the rear door handle to the victim’s vehicle and became angry when the door would not open.
When the victim looked outside to check on her vehicle, she saw Castro in the driver’s seat of a red SUV parked next to her vehicle. The responding officer approached Castro’s vehicle and asked to speak with him about the allegations.
Castro became extremely agitated and started cursing at the officer. The officer told Castro to step out of his SUV several times.
{p}The Kern County District Attorney’s Office said on October 24, 2025, a Kern County jury found Eric Castro guilty of resisting arrest through force and violence and tampering with a vehicle without the owner’s consent. PHOTO: Kern County DA{/p}
The DA’s office said Castro punched the responding officer in the side of the head, kicked the officer in the face and groin, and refused to step out of his vehicle. A second officer then arrived on scene to help. Castro continued yelling and resisting arrest before eventually being detained in the parking lot.
Both officers sustained visible injuries.
District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer commented by saying, “Castro showed complete disregard for the safety of the community member and the first responders who answered to the call. Such behavior demands appropriate legal repercussions.”
Castro’s sentencing is scheduled for November 11, 2025, where he faces up to three years and four months in prison.