Police are searching for the owner of a Worcester restaurant who is accused of spray-painting an activist’s face at City Hall Tuesday.
A man was spray-painted in the face Tuesday during a city council meeting in Worcester, Massachusetts.
City Manager Eric Batista said Wednesday that the incident occurred around the start of a meeting at Worcester City Hall.
Police responded to a report of a fight around 6:30 p.m., arriving to find a resident with paint on his face. He told officers he was spray-painted on the third floor at the Esther Howland Chamber, where the council meets.
Batista said the victim did not suffer any major injuries, but was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center before being released.
A recording of the meeting shows city councilors running to help as screams interrupt the national anthem.
David Webb, the man who was attacked, spoke with NBC10 Boston about the experience.
"It was really horrifying rewatching that," he said. "Hearing the national anthem is going to be triggering for me now."
Webb says the man was waiting for him to walk into the chamber to speak during public comment.
"I yelled, 'Get that man, get that man!'" And one of my friends tackled him and he got away," he said.
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Witness accounts and surveillance footage led police to identify John Piccolo as the person believed to be responsible, authorities said. A warrant was issued for his arrest.
Piccolo is a longtime chef and owner of Piccolo's, a restaurant on Shrewsbury Street.
Before heading to the hospital, Webb took the floor to address Worcester City Council.
"Sorry I'm shaken up, the owner of Piccolo's just spray-painted my face out there," he said.
Webb, who identifies himself as an "instigator journalist," believes he offended Piccolo with a Facebook post labeling an event at his restaurant as a "racist convention."
"It is entirely understandable for people not to like me, but if you are advocating for violence, especially against an advocate, that's fascism," Webb said.
He added that he's upset that police weren't present or wearing bodycams.
About an hour before the incident, police were in front of and behind Worcester City Hall in response to "a disorderly call on the Worcester Common." Police left to make a report before the fight occurred.
"The safety, security, and well-being of all persons present inside City Hall, during City Council meetings, other public meetings, and regular business hours is not only a priority for my administration but a responsibility of the municipality," Batista said in a statement. "No individual should feel threatened or intimidated by another member of the public or by a public employee while conducting business in municipal settings. Violence and aggressive behavior of any kind toward any person inside City Hall and other public facilities is unacceptable and will not be tolerated."
Piccolo is wanted on a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
NBC10 Boston stopped by his restaurant, but employees declined to comment.
