London police have charged a man accused of vandalizing a vehicle and injuring the owner with a shovel over the lunch hour on Tuesday.
According to investigators, at around 12:45 p.m. June 20, a man parked his truck and trailer in the parking lot of a restaurant in the area of Highbury Avenue North and Cheapside Street and went inside the business.
Shortly after, a citizen watched an unknown man approach the vehicle, remove a shovel from the attached trailer, and smash the front windshield of the truck with it before walking off with the shovel in tow.
The owner was told of the incident and immediately called police. He saw the accused still carrying the tool a short distance away and confronted him.
Police said the suspect started to run towards the owner while swinging the shovel, resulting in the victim being struck several times. The pair then got into a physical tussle, and the accused took off.
Officers arrived a short time later, and the suspect was located and arrested near Michael and Cheapside streets.
The victim suffered minor injuries in the incident. Police said the two were not previously known to each other.
A 27-year-old London man has since been charged with mischief under $5,000 and assault with a weapon. He is scheduled to appear in court on August 3.
