Parolee Sneaks On Amtrak, Roughs Up Ticket-Taker: Cops

OCEANSIDE, CA – A parolee trying to sneak a free ride on an Amtrak run from the San Diego area to Los Angeles was arrested Tuesday after allegedly roughing up a train employee who asked to see his ticket.

The train was approaching Oceanside about 8 a.m. when the parolee allegedly grabbed the ticket-taker and pushed him up against a wall.

Amtrak authorities notified police in the coastal North County city, who sent patrol personnel to meet the arriving train and take the suspected assailant into custody, Oceanside police spokesman Tom Bussey said.

As officers tried to arrest the parolee, he got into a struggle with them and made a failed attempt to escape on foot, Bussey said.

The suspect, a Los Angeles resident, was booked into county jail on suspicion of assault and violating his parole. His name was not immediately available.

Though the Amtrak worker involved in the encounter with the parolee "now has kind of a sore shoulder," he did not require medical care, Bussey said.

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--City News Service