A Twentynine Palms man was arrested Thursday, accused of assault while fighting with his ex-girlfriend and her family. Deputies were called about 2 p.m. Thursday to the 69300 block of Brant Crossing Road in Twentynine Palms. Deputies learned that Sergio Potes, 29, had choked his ex-girlfriend on Tuesday. On Thursday, when the woman’s family went to the home to get Potes to leave, they said he refused and threatened them with a short sledge hammer. The woman fled the scene, but her brother and sister stayed behind. The brother said Potes ran after him, tackled him, and then hit him with his fist in the back of the head about five times, causing him to black out. Sergio Potes was arrested for investigation of assault and felony spouse abuse and was booked into the Morongo Basin Jail with his bail set at $50,000. The brother was taken to Hi-Desert Medical Center for treatment.
