A KRON-TV camera was recording the whole two-minute altercation, as well as the moments leading up to it, when a man struck a security guard protecting Democratic Mayor Matt Mahan of San Jose on Tuesday night. At the time, the station was interviewing Mahan on South First Street.
During the interview, the broadcaster reported that Mahan was in the neighborhood for a restaurant opening.
According to KRON, after that, the pedestrian reportedly went up to the mayor’s security guard. During their verbal confrontation, Mahan informed the pedestrian that he was in an interview.
You are conducting an interview, I see. Beside the mayor, the now-filmed pedestrian posed the question.
The pedestrian reportedly told Mahan’s security guard, “I am talking on the phone.” “You have an issue?”
The pedestrian then reportedly instructed the security guard, who happens to be a San Jose officer, to “mind your (explicit) business,” according to KRON. “I was going to do whatever the (explicit) I was going to do just before you went up to me,” the pedestrian also said to the security guard, according to the station.
The person soon moved ahead and out of frame, and it seemed like they made physical contact with the security guard. Also audible was the pedestrian threatening to “smack” the security guard.
According to Kron, the pedestrian seemed to hit the security guard in the head with his right hand. This is a video showing the punch and the few seconds that followed.
Right now, the entire fight’s footage is only available on KRON.
The pedestrian and the security guard engaged in a protracted struggle. Arrows are pointing (left to right) toward the mayor, the pedestrian, and the security guard in this snapshot of the ongoing altercation.
Eventually, a few onlookers engage in a fight and assist the security guard in controlling the pedestrian, as shown in the footage from KRON.
Police in San Jose finally took the person into custody, according to the station.
According to KRON, the police have stated they are providing the district attorney’s office with evidence. Following the altercation, a hospital assessed the injuries sustained by the mayor’s security guard.
Multiple accusations, including criminal violence against a police officer, led to the suspect’s booking into Santa Clara County Main Jail, according to the station. The police informed KRON that they were investigating the reason for the brawl as well as the circumstances surrounding it.
Click to watch:
While interviewing Mayor Matt Mahan in downtown San Jose, a man was shouting at us and fought Mayor Mahan's security guard.
The fight lasted a couple minutes and the man was arrested by SJPD.
Police said they were compiling evidence and sending it to the DA's office/ pic.twitter.com/aJxGRLC7RU
— Jack Molmud (@jmolmud) April 24, 2024
According to the station, Mahan was physically unharmed during the event, and his office released the following statement:
“Mayor Matt Mahan expresses his sincere gratitude to the San Jose Police Department and his security detail. The officer’s brave acts tonight serve as evidence of the effectiveness, compassion, and stewardship of community trust that our officers are able to provide because of their deescalation training. He wishes him a speedy recovery. The mayor is determined to make the city a safer place for everyone since he recognizes how fortunate he is to always have an armed policeman guarding him. This entails bringing in additional police officers and dealing with the underlying issues that lead to crime, such as breaking the cycles of addiction and mental illness early and more skillfully.”
