Perry Hall Man Files Charge Vs. Baltimore City Council President

BALTIMORE, MD — A Perry Hall man has filed a second-degree assault charge against Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott. The charge, filed Tuesday, stems from a Feb. 5 incident in which the Perry Hall man was also charged.

Scott, who is running for mayor, said he was assaulted by the Perry Hall man, who at the time was volunteer for another candidate's campaign.

Scott said he was going into the Blueprint for Baltimore's Mayoral Forum on Feb. 5 at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., when he was hit by the campaign volunteer for mayoral candidate Sheila Dixon. He reportedly filed for a protective order against the person, who is no longer working on the campaign.

"Due to ongoing and escalating threats made by this volunteer following the incident, a police report was filed, and the situation is currently under investigation," Scott said earlier this month.

The volunteer was identified by WBFF as Michael Moore, who told the news station: "I was defending myself" because Scott tried to push by him.

Moore, 35, of the 5000 block of Clifford Road in Perry Hall, is charged with second-degree assault. He is to appear March 23 in Baltimore City District Court regarding the case.

In response to the charge filed against him this week, Scott told WJZ that "what [Moore] claims is patently false." Scott cited witnesses and Moore's own social media posts, which the council president claimed contained threats directed toward him dating back to December. He also noted that Moore was removed from the Dixon campaign.

Moore pushed Scott and hit him in the jaw as the council president attempted to walk by him to get into the public mayoral forum, Scott told The Baltimore Sun. According to the newspaper, the head of Scott's campaign alerted Dixon about what took place.

Dixon "immediately asked the volunteer to leave to avoid any further disruptions," she said in a Feb. 7 statement, adding: "Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the incident, I can't tolerate violence, and I won't have any negativity on my campaign."

Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young called the incident "disgusting" and has discussed safety plans for Scott, according to The Baltimore Sun, which reported that Moore has posted statements on Facebook that Scott perceived to be threatening, such as: "I hit him now watch God follow up."

While "any act of violence is completely unacceptable," Scott said, "what happened to me pales in comparison to the stories I hear every day of too many precious lives lost and too many families grappling with the trauma of losing someone."

Baltimore has had 43 homicides so far this year, the Baltimore Police Department reported as of Wednesday.

Scott, who described himself as a public servant and young man from Park Heights, said: "I am undeterred and remain focused on my goal of making Baltimore a safer, more accountable city where we all can thrive."