Berkeley police arrest suspect in Telegraph merchant assault
Police say Harris Wilson, 26, began spitting when they tried to detain him, and then punched one officer in the face and bit another one.
A homeless man who recently attacked a Berkeley vendor on Telegraph Avenue for no reason was arrested Sunday after fighting with police, authorities report.
The merchant, a 33-year-old Berkeley man, was working on Telegraph Avenue on Friday morning when a man approached him and began to confront him, authorities said.
Unprovoked, "the suspect hit the victim with a long metal pole," Berkeley police said, and then threw the pole at the vendor when he tried to walk away.
The merchant sustained injuries to his knee and elbow but did not require hospitalization, authorities said.
On Sunday, the vendor saw the assailant on Telegraph Avenue again and alerted police.
Officers responded and tried to take the man into custody.
Instead of cooperating, Berkeley police said, the man began spitting, and then punched one officer in the face and bit another.
Officers ultimately placed the man in a restraint device and spit hood once they were able to detain him.
The suspect was identified as 26-year-old Harris Wilson (no address).
According to Alameda County Superior Court records, Wilson has no prior criminal cases listed in the county.
He was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, battery on a peace officer and resisting arrest, all felonies, according to booking records.
Wilson is set for arraignment Wednesday at Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland.
