Mayor of a small town in California is said to have been attacked from behind by a homeless man near congressional staff and police chief

A Northern California city council member is pointing to his state’s lenient crime policies after he and a mayor were allegedly attacked and beaten by a homeless man in a broad daylight attack.

Marysville City Councilman Dom Belza told Fox News Digital that he and Mayor Chris Branscum, Police Chief Christian Sachs and two congressional staffers for Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California were downtown assessing damage to a historic building that had been destroyed by fire shortly before the incident occurred on August 22.

“We were standing on the sidewalk near the site, chatting casually. A man crossed the crosswalk. And just as he reached the mayor, who had his back turned to him, the man swung and hit him right in the back,” Belza said.

“There was no communication, no argument. There was nothing that triggered the blow. It was just a completely random act of violence.”

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Mayor Branscum described the attack as coming “out of nowhere” and told KCRA-TV, “I thought I had been hit by a car.”

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“I got hit so hard. The next thing I remember is this guy sliding past me and running and I yelled a curse at him.”

After the alleged attack, Belza said his “instincts kicked in” and he ran after the fleeing suspect.

The suspect, later identified as 36-year-old Derek Hopkins, ran after the incident.

“I saw the attacker running down the street and my instinct took over and I ran after him,” Belza said. “As I got closer and we were about halfway down the block, he turned around and looked at me over his shoulder.”

Belza said Hopkins stopped and was aimed for a second punch, successfully hitting him on the side of his head.

“After that, I tackled him, brought him to the ground and held him until the police chief could arrive. We kept him in custody until he was officially arrested,” Belza said.

Hopkins faces eight charges, including aggravated assault on a public official and aggravated elder abuse. His bail is set at $50,000.

Belza said the incident sheds light on the crime crisis prevalent in communities across California as Democrats’ policies affect both ordinary citizens and elected officials.

“In the larger light and bigger picture of this whole situation, this is something we deal with on a regular basis,” he said. “Maybe not necessarily when an elected official is attacked, but there are many more crimes and attacks like this in communities across California.”

“It touches on a much larger problem in this state. This attack is really the result of the lenient crime policies that California has implemented over the last decade,” he said.

Belza focused on Proposition 47, which took effect in November 2014 and upgraded six minor crimes to misdemeanors, including shoplifting of goods valued at less than $950 and drug possession.

“Prop 47 is the anchor of this soft-on-crime policy,” he said.

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He pointed to California’s attorney general in 2014 – Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate – as the driving force behind the legislation.

“She was the one who really pushed that forward, and since then we’ve seen a rapid increase in crime in California,” he said. “I think we should all be really concerned that if she runs for president or becomes president, the entire nation will be faced with the same problems that California has been struggling with for the past 10 years.”

“This should be of great, great concern to all of us.”

Belza said that despite its small size, his city is forced to deal with the consequences of progressive laws like Prop 47.

“We are a small community in Northern California and we struggle with homelessness, drug abuse, vagrancy, loitering and vandalism,” Belza said. “One of our local coffee shops just randomly had a chair thrown through the window last year.”

“We have just seen a huge increase in this type of crime, not to mention the increase in serious crimes like murder.”

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In 2024, California reported a significant decline in violent crime. Belza disputed these claims, saying the new classification of crime reporting affected the data.

“Reporting crime differently doesn’t necessarily mean crime will go down,” Belza said. “What used to be reported as a crime is now reported as a misdemeanor, and what used to be reported as a misdemeanor is now reported as a less serious misdemeanor.”

“So it’s not that crime has gone down,” he added. “I would say the reality is that crime has gone up so much that most of our residents in Marysville are afraid to go to the store. They’re afraid to walk down the street.”

“And situations like this are proof that California is not a safe state and that these small, rural communities are no longer safe,” he said.

“And that’s the real problem – people don’t feel safe,” he said. “I got a call from a lady I know, an elderly lady from the city, who went to the local pharmacy to pick up her medication. And as she was trying to return from the store to her car, she was attacked in the street by two people who wanted to harass her. She has no one to help her or protect her.”

Belza said communities in California have formed coalitions to fight crime.

“Because of the impact of our experience with crime in California, people have raised their voices. We have collected enough signatures to put Prop 36 on the ballot,” he said. “Prop 36 really changes what Prop 47 did and brings serious consequences for repeat offenders, especially for shoplifting and especially for serious drugs like fentanyl.”

“I founded an organization last spring called Free California to work with state legislators and others who are trying to fight this problem at the political level. It is also to make Californians aware that we, the people, can change things we are not happy with. We have a responsibility as citizens of California to take action and help make this state safe.”

The Harris campaign and LaMalfa did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Source of the original article: Mayor of a small town in California is said to have been attacked from behind by a homeless man near congressional staff and police chief