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Homeless Man Allegedly Attacks California Mayor In Broad Daylight

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Mark Tanos Contributor
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A homeless man allegedly sucker punched a California mayor while the officeholder was reportedly discussing a fire-damaged building with local officials and congressional staffers Aug. 22.

The unprovoked incident took place while Marysville Mayor Chris Branscum was with City Councilman Dom Belza, Police Chief Christian Sachs and two congressional staffers, standing near a historic site, Belza told Fox News. Belza said the suspect, identified afterward as Derek Hopkins, 36, allegedly struck Branscum without warning before fleeing the scene, the outlet reported.

Belza immediately pursued the alleged attacker, who turned and punched him as well, he told Fox News. “I saw the attacker take off running down the street, so instinct kicked in, and I ran after the attacker,” Belza reportedly said.

The councilman managed to subdue the alleged attacker until police arrived, he told the outlet. Hopkins is facing multiple charges, including elder abuse and assault of a public office holder, both felonies, the outlet reported. The judge reportedly ruled that he be held on a $50,000 bail.

Belza tied the incident to what he called “soft on crime” policies in California, according to Fox News. “It speaks to a much bigger issue in the state. This attack is really a result of the soft-on-crime policy that California has implemented over the last 10 years,” Belza told the outlet. (RELATED: San Francisco Sued By Residents In Crime-Ridden Neighborhood Over Poor Conditions)

The councilman then named the state’s Proposition 47 that reclassified several felonies as misdemeanors, the outlet reported. “Prop 47 is the anchor of that soft on crime,” he reportedly added.

Belza also criticized Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris, the former Attorney General of California, according to the outlet. “She was the one who really pushed this heavily, and since then, we’ve just seen crime go rampant in California,” he told the outlet.

He reportedly said smaller communities like Marysville are facing the consequences. “We’ve just seen a huge increase in those types of crime, not to mention the increase in hard crimes, like murders,” he told the outlet.