Petaluma transient suspected in rebar beating

A man suspected of beating another man with a large metal rod near a homeless shelter has been arrested, the Petaluma police said.

Officers received a report around 9 p.m. Wednesday of an assault near the Mary Isaak Center shelter at 900 Hopper Street, police said, and found a man who had injuries on an arm and a leg.

The victim, who was hospitalized and released after medical treatment, identified David Larkin Papazian as the man who hit him repeatedly with a piece of rebar, police said. Several witnessses also told police that Papazian, a 54-year-old man police identified as transient, was the aggressor.

Papazian was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon at a nearby property and held in the Sonoma County Jail in lieu of a $30,000 bond, police said. He was still in jail Thursday morning, according to jail records.

Sonoma County court records show Papazian was sentenced to six months in jail in 1993 after being charged with misdemeanor battery and vandalism with damages between $1,000 and $5,000.

You can reach Staff Writer Will Schmitt at 707-521-5207 or will.schmitt@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @wsreports