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WATCH: San Jose Mayor’s Security Assaulted On Street During TV Interview, Mayor Recommits To More Police

Mayor Matt Mahan, a Democrat, said the city needs more cops.

   DailyWire.com
SAN JOSE, CA - January 04: San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan speaks during a press conference on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, in San Jose, Calif. A ruthless winter storm bore down on the Bay Area and Northern California on Wednesday, prompting emergency proclamations, school closures and multiple hazard warnings of potential flooding, debris flows and severe winds. (Dai Sugano/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images)
Dai Sugano/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images

The mayor of San Jose, California, was in the middle of doing a television interview on the streets of his city when a man walking by suddenly assaulted the mayor’s bodyguard.

Mayor Matt Mahan, a Democrat, was speaking into KRON4’s news camera in downtown San Jose when a black male carrying a backpack walked by and shouted something, including a bleeped obscenity, video of the incident showed.

“I would not let him go in there if we can,” Mahan immediately said with a nervous laugh, pointing to the nearby restaurant. Mahan was in the area for a restaurant opening.

The man continued to speak aggressively to the mayor’s group, telling them, “Just slap me in the ****ing face.”

“Sorry, we’re doing an interview, sir,” Mahan told him.

The man claimed to work nearby.

“I’m talking on the phone. You got a problem? Ok cool. I appreciate you minding your ****ing business,” the man told the mayor’s security detail. “I’m going to go do what the **** I’m going to do right before you walked up to me.”

The situation escalated when the man threw his backpack to the ground and told the mayor’s security detail, a San Jose police officer, “I will smack you right now, bitch.”

The man appeared to land a punch to the bodyguard’s head. The two scuffled for several more minutes as the mayor’s group called the police. Eventually the man yelled, “let me go,” and several more men helped the bodyguard subdue the man.

The mayor’s security detail suffered head and neck pain and stayed overnight in the hospital. The mayor was not physically harmed during the altercation. The suspect was identified by police as Wesley Pollard, 35, and was booked in Santa Clara County Main Jail on multiple charges including felony battery of a police officer.

The mayor released a statement in the aftermath of the violent incident, calling for more police officers in San Jose.

“Mayor Matt Mahan is deeply grateful to his security detail and the entire San Jose Police Department. The actions of the Officer tonight were heroic and a testament to the deescalation training that makes our officers effective, compassionate and stewards of community trust. His thoughts are with the Officer and he hopes for a speedy recovery,” the mayor’s office said.

“The Mayor understands how privileged he is to have an armed officer protecting him at all times, and is resolved in his commitment to create a safer city for everyone,” the statement continued. “That means hiring more police officers and addressing the root causes of crime, including by intervening earlier and more effectively in cycles of addiction, mental illness and violence.”

Mahan has previously committed to hiring more cops, but last year he was criticized for being slow to staff up the police department.

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The Daily Wire   >  Read   >  WATCH: San Jose Mayor’s Security Assaulted On Street During TV Interview, Mayor Recommits To More Police