Signature gatherer assaulted outside of library, police respond

A signature gatherer for seven ballot measures was assaulted and had his belongings taken after a verbal altercation between him and a man exiting the LAC library between 2 and 3 p.m. today. 

His clipboards of signatures, briefcase, cart and sign attached to his table that read “Save patients” were taken. 

The victim had another sign taped to the front of the table that read “Save lives with a signature”.

_{The petitioner, center, whose things were stolen, talks with two people who were walking by after the incident at his stand in front of the LBCC library today. The incident occurred at approximately between 2 and 3 p.m. (Dom Maddan)}

“He’s collecting signatures, somebody approached him and started talking to him, (the suspect) became upset with his message, put hands on him, pushed him and then grabbed his signs and them off the table. Then, he grabbed his petition signatures, put them in his little cart, … and wheeled it off towards the K Building,” police officer Kevin Stinson said. 

The verbal altercation between the two involved the suspect asking what the petitions were about and the petition gatherer not having further answers.

“(The suspect) was just combative, argumentative and I told the man, ‘I don’t have the energy to argue with people. I am not here to debate people, either you want to sign the petition or you don’t want to.’ If I meet anyone that’s combative, I encourage them to leave. … this man simply would not leave,” the victim, who refused to give his name, said.

The police responded to a strong-arm robbery call, but were called after the incident occurred, according to Stinson.

The suspect was last seen running southbound toward Carson Street, but Stinson confirmed that the police did not see or make contact with the suspect because they arrived on scene after the incident was over. 

The victim found his belongings hidden inside the K Building after chasing the suspect.

Although the suspect left the victim’s belongings behind, police still filed a police report because the crime was still committed. 

“(The suspect) wasn’t able to complete the crime by keeping it. Took it, fled and left it behind. I don’t know if he (thought) he’s gonna come back and get it later. I don’t know what his motivation was. The victim’s not injured, so we’re going to file a police report,” Stinson said.