Berkeley man charged with felony assault via skateboard
According to police, the skateboarder was riding home when Mark Buckingham blocked his way and attacked him.
A Berkeley resident who police say took a man's skateboard and attacked him with it has been charged with a felony this week, court papers show.
According to charging papers, the resident got angry that the man was skateboarding on the sidewalk, prompting a violent confrontation last week.
According to Berkeley police, the skateboarder was riding home when Mark Buckingham, who was smoking on the sidewalk outside his house, "took a fighting stance" and blocked his path Friday.
The skateboarder yelled at Buckingham to get out of the way, but he didn't move, police said.
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When the man got off his skateboard, Buckingham "charged" at him, shoved him and punched him in the head.
"You cannot skateboard here," Buckingham said, according to police, "This is my house!"
That's when Buckingham, 50, picked up the man's skateboard and "swung it sideways" toward him from 5-6 feet away, police wrote.
He missed the man, but "slammed the skateboard against a garbage bin on the sidewalk," police wrote.
Mark Buckingham. BPD
After his arrest, Buckingham told police the man had followed him and irritated him as he "rode his skateboard everywhere," police wrote.
He said the skateboarder had started the altercation, according to charging papers.
On Monday, the Alameda County DA's office charged Buckingham with felony assault with a deadly weapon (identified as the skateboard) as well as misdemeanor battery.
Judge Elena Condes released Buckingham on Tuesday on his own recognizance, ordering him to attend his court hearings and "engage in peaceful contact when in public," according to court papers.
Buckingham has no other criminal cases listed in Alameda County.
He is scheduled to enter a plea Friday.
