Calif. neighborhood watchmen beat newspaper deliveryman over mistaken identity
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Two Santa Rosa men were arrested early Tuesday after they chased down and assaulted a newspaper deliveryman because they mistakenly believed him to be responsible for a string of burglaries in their neighborhood.
... Officers responding to the scene talked to witnesses and figured out that two men had been keeping watch over the neighborhood following a number of recent thefts. The men apparently saw the gray minivan, a Honda, enter the neighborhood and mistakenly took the driver to be a burglar, police said.
The men approached the van and confronted the driver, a frightened newspaper deliveryman, and began beating on the vehicle with sticks or pipes. The driver sped off, crashing into a parked car, as the two men gave chase in their own vehicle. After coming upon the crashed van, they again began to beat on the sides of the vehicle. The driver attempted to flee, but the men chased him down and assaulted him as well before he was able to escape.
Police said there was no evidence the driver was connected to the recent thefts or any other crimes.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Neighborhood-watchmen-beat-newspaper-deliveryman-6074015.php
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