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Homeless man arrested for assault
Jose Baltazar
Jose Baltazar

A 34-year-old transient from Oakland was arrested Thursday afternoon after he allegedly assaulted a motorist filling up his gas tank at the Mitchell Road AM/PM.

At 4:35 p.m. Officer Krandall Vandagriff found and arrested the suspect, Jose Baltazar.

The victim said he was gassing up his vehicle when Baltazar came up, mumbled something and reached for the car door handle. The victim told Baltazar to get away but he opened the door anyway. 

As the driver attempted to shut the door Baltazar grabbed his hand and attempted to pull it away from the door. The victim then pushed Baltazar away and got in his driver’s seat to drive off over to a different area of the parking lot.

The victim’s passenger saw Baltazar sprinting towards the car and alerted the victim who yelled for Baltazar to stay away. Instead, Baltazar charged at the car and kicked the rear passenger door, denting it. The suspect walked off but was apprehended by police near the store. Baltazar was displaying signs of alcohol impairment and was booked for assault and vandalism.