Hemet: Man on Drugs Vandalizes Businesses with a Baseball Bat

John Strangis / 4 days ago

Hemet, CA: On the night of Friday July 22, 2016 at approximately 10:00 pm, Hemet Police responded to a report of a heavily intoxicated individual breaking out windows with a bat on the 100 block of East Florida Ave. When Officers arrived on scene they discovered that the suspect had shattered the windows of three separate businesses.

cording to witnesses, the suspect was seen on a bicycle striking windows with a bat. Allegedly some witnesses stated they also saw the suspect with a crowbar and a knife. The business targeted include the Sharkey’s Pizza and Games building where two windows were destroyed, and other windows were shattered at the Finder Keepers Antique Store and another one at Liberty Tax Services next to the old Hemet Theatre.

What sparked this individual to commit the senseless crime is unknown, although being heavily under the influence of a controlled substance allegedly may have played a part in his rampage of local businesses. The suspect caused thousands of dollars in damages before heading eastbound on Florida Ave towards Weston Park, where he was spotted by other witnesses who reported his location to police.

Shortly thereafter; officers spotted a white male adult matching the description given by witnesses at the 1100 block of East Florida Ave. The suspect was carrying a bat and attempted to escape on foot.

According to one witness; the suspect entered a restaurant banging on a counter with the baseball bat before being chased out and apprehended at gunpoint by police. The man was heavily under the influence of a controlled substance and was yelling insults, questionable political rants and racial/discriminatory slurs to officers and media on scene.

While attempting to make any sense of the man’s rants and comments was difficult to say the least; he did make a few remarks regarding his dislike for President Obama, his support of Donald Trump, his continued repetition of the wordswhite power allegedly due to his support or ties to white supremacism, his dislike of homosexuals, something about his daughter and a comment about Kunta Kinte referenced to President Obama.

The suspect was transported by ambulance to a local hospital before being booked. Allegedly he requested medical out of fear of an overdose. Before his transport, he attempted to scare a first responder who was reeling the suspect into the ambulance with a loud and sudden “BOO!”.

According to a press release from Hemet Police Department; the suspect, Todd Alan Turner, a 26 year old Hemet resident was transported to Riverside County Jail with charges of vandalism, being under the influence of a controlled substance and violation of probation.

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