Crime & Safety
Banana Assault: Iowa Man Accused Of Attacking Clerk With Fruit
A Des Moines, Iowa, convenience store clerk who intervened in a domestic situation was assaulted with a banana, police say.
DES MOINES, IA — A Des Moines man was arrested early New Year’s Day after he chased a convenience store clerk around the store and assaulted her with a banana, the city’s police department said.
The alleged assault happened about 3 a.m. Tuesday at a QuikTrip store at 3941 S.E. 14th St. and was one of 270 calls officers answered on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, the Des Moines Police Department said.
Rogelio Tapia, 26, was charged with assault on persons in certain occupations, simple assault, interference with official acts and third-degree criminal mischief, Des Moines television station KCCI reported.
Police said a clerk at the store tried to intervene in a domestic situation. Police said witnesses reported that Tapia chased the clerk around the store and threw the banana and several other items, causing about $1,000 damage.
The Des Moines Police Department said on its Facebook page that “the banana assault really happened.”
Photo: Mood Board/Shutterstock
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