Customer angry over lost keys gets arrested for assault and theft

VICTORVILLE, Calif. (VVNG.com) — A 27-year-old man angry that a tire shop lost his car keys ended up in jail after allegedly hitting the manager across the face with a skateboard, officials said.

The suspect, Anthony Manuel Velez, a resident of Hesperia, remains in custody and is being held on a $50,000 bail following his arrest on June 23, 2020.

At about 12:09 PM deputies from the Victorville Police Department were dispatched to the 15300 block of Bear Valley Road regarding an assault.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Mara Rodriguez told VVNG the suspect became angry when he learned the tire shop that was working on his car had misplaced his keys.

“The shop offered to have new keys made but Velez was unhappy with that, stole an employee’s keys from a counter, and fled the shop on a skateboard. He climbed on top of the roof of a small apartment complex across the street,” stated Rodriguez.

Rodriguez said the shop manager followed Velez asking to get the keys back. “Velez swung his skateboard at him, hitting him in the face. During the altercation, Velez lost his footing, fell to the ground, then ran into a nearby store, where he was detained by employees and customers until deputies arrived,” stated Rodriguez.

Velez was arrested and booked at the High Desert Detention Center for PC245(A)(1) Assault with a Deadly Weapon and PC484(A) Petty Theft. His bail is set at $50k and is scheduled for arraignment in a Victorville courtroom on July 7, 2020.

Rodriguez said the victim had minor abrasions to his face, from the skateboard, and did not wish medical attention to be rendered at the scene.

Become a VVNG Member today! Join our newly launched community platform HERE or Visit My.VVNG.com

To follow updates to this article and more, join our newsgroup on Facebook with over 165,000 members. Like our Facebook page, and Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.