Larkspur Man Reportedly Assaulted After Telling Jogger to Wear a Mask
ROSS (CBS SF) -- A Larkspur man told Marin County park rangers this week that he was assaulted for telling a jogger on the Gertrude Ord Trail to put on a face mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The 59-year-old Larkspur man was walking on the trail with his wife in the area of Phoenix Lake in Ross around 10 a.m. Wednesday when they encountered the jogger coming toward them from the opposite direction.
The man told the jogger to put on a face covering before getting closer. The jogger subsequently shoved the man to the ground and continued running, according to Marin Municipal Water District spokeswoman Jeanne Mariani-Belding.
Park rangers searched the area but could not locate the suspected jogger. The man who reported the alleged assault declined medical treatment.
The 59-year old hiker and his wife told KPIX they've been criticized and targeted on social media because of this incident.
Wearing a mask is mandated in California when 6 feet of distance isn't possible.
The hiker told KPIX he pleaded with the jogger as he approached.
"He was getting closer so I said 'stop'. He kept running so I said 'stop!' He sped up, put out his hand shoved me in the face pushing me down to the trail then blew past my wife and sped off," the hiker said, adding that he suffered a few bruises on his side and back.
"I want this person to come forward and say he was wrong and say 'I'm sorry I shouldn't push a 59-year-old to the ground,'" he said.
He described the alleged assailant as a Caucasian man in his early 20s, 6 feet tall with light brown hair, wearing a light-colored shirt and a black vest that had weights in it.
Anyone with information about the case can contact the water district rangers' office at (415) 945-1180.
© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. KPIX 5's Kenny Choi and Bay City News contributed to this report. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed