Snowballer attacked
Published Jan. 23, 2007
A man was assaulted around 1:50 a.m. Sunday after hitting a passing truck with a snowball.
The victim told police he was attacked in the Hitt Street parking structure after he and a friend threw a snowball at a passing pick-up truck, MU police Capt. Brian Weimer said.
When a man stepped out of the truck, the victim told police he apologized for hitting the vehicle with the snowball. The victim claimed the attacker then grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him to the ground, Weimer said. The victim said the attacker slammed him against the ground two more times before leaving, Weimer said.
Police were dispatched after a 911 caller reported the assault.
The victim described his assailant as a male with sandy-blond hair, approximately 6-feet-2-inches tall and 230 pounds. He drove a silver pick-up truck.
Weimer said a more detailed description of the attacker might be released later this week.
The victim had no visible injuries and was not an MU student, Weimer said.
Weimer said though he didn't want to blame the victim in this assault, incidents like this could be avoided in the future by exercising restraint while playing in the snow.
"As a way to avoid future problems, I would not be throwing snowballs at unknown people or vehicles," he said. "There's potential for damage, injury or all of the above."