A 54-year-old Berkeley, California man was arrested for assaulting Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, who was walking on a sidewalk in downtown Oakland, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
In Oakland to help promote and visit local businesses, Newsom was accosted by the man between stops at a barber shop and a pizza parlor. The governor’s security team escorted Newsom away from the man while California Highway Patrol officers detained the man, whose name was not released.
“This morning, the Governor was approached by an aggressive individual. Members of the Governor’s security detail removed the Governor from the situation and the individual was arrested by CHP officers,” the CHP, which provides security for the governor, said in a statement.
Nearby media did not witness the incident, but became aware of it after police moved in. Newsom seemed nonplussed by the encounter, joking with reporters that “people have different ways of saying hello.”
The man was booked at Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of resisting an executive officer and assaulting a public official, and he is being held on $35,000 bail.