A 24-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after telling a police officer he threw a glass bottle and hit a Gresham fare inspector asking for proof of payment to ride the MAX light rail, authorities say.

Draven N. Blanton told the Gresham officer that the inspector woke him up while they both were at the Cleveland Avenue MAX Station and he didn’t regret hitting the man, according to a probable cause affidavit. Blanton left the the station afterward, but the officer later found him nearby.

“Something had to give,” Blanton said, according to the court papers. “Sometimes you just have to throw a bottle at someone.”

The inspector suffered a lump on his head from the strike, the affidavit said. He told the same officer that he’d asked Blanton twice for proof of fare when the stranger pulled out a bottle from his jacket pocket, threw it at him and then ran away. The worker said he was hit on the side of his head.

It’s unclear from the court papers if Blanton was intending to ride the MAX.

Blanton remains held Friday in the Multnomah County Detention Center on suspicion of second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and interfering with public transportation.

-- Everton Bailey Jr; ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey

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