MARYSVILLE, Calif. — The mayor of Marysville is sharing the scary moments when he says a complete stranger in his community sucker punched him in the back.
It happened Thursday around 3:15 in the afternoon as the mayor met with the Marysville Chief of Police and a council member.
"We're just talking, nothing, it's a beautiful afternoon, and the next thing I know pow, really hard. It was so hard, I thought I got hit by a car or something," said Mayor Chris Branscum.
Branscum says the punch in the back caught him by surprise.
He was standing in the middle of the crosswalk on 5th street and joined by Marysville Police Chief Chris Sachs, and city councilmember Dom Belza.
The group was there meeting with U.S. Congressman Doug LaMalfa on the site of the Hotel Marysville fire.
"For crying out loud I'm standing I'm standing right here next to the chief of police. Now he did not have on a uniform with a lot of fulrish. He had on a black polo, badge, gun but he's standing like this and this guy probably didn't notice there was policeman right next to me," said Branscum.
Councilman Belza quickly reacted and says he sprang into action after seeing the man take off running down the sidewalk.
"Part of the way down the street, about halfway down the street he realized that I was close to him in pursuit. And he turned around and squared up to me and he punched me on the side of the head and so I took him down onto the concrete, restrained him and waited for the police chief to get there to help and restrain him," said Belza.
The man later identified as Derek Hopkins was arrested and booked in jail.
Officials describe him as unhoused with a known criminal history.
Belza says the situation makes him question California's criminal justice system.
"You're never gonna prevent all crime right, you're never gonna do that but if we can hedge our bets against that I think that we'll be able to truly have a safer community, a city and a safer state if we can get things like prop 36 passed in November," said Belza.
Mayor Branscum believes the attack was completely random since no words were exchanged.
But he says he is just thankful the man did not attack him with a weapon.
"I'm 75 and in better shape than most of my age. I was talking to a friend of mine out earlier today. He's in his 80s and he God said if someone hit me like that he might of killed me. And that's it. And it's unexplainable. And you want to be able to forgive someone but that's just evil," said Branscum.
