The mayor of Antioch, a midsize city in California's East Bay, said he was punched at a community event Tuesday.
Mayor Lamar A. Thorpe said in a statement to NBC Bay Area that a man approached him at the Antioch Chamber of Commerce State of Business 2022 "meet-and-greet" luncheon Tuesday and punched him in his upper torso.
The man, he said, had approached him "in an aggressive manner" and appeared to want a confrontation, Thorpe said, so he asked him to leave.
"As I attempted to walk away, the man punched me in the chest and was attempting to punch me a second time, but was not able to land his blow, as bystanders intervened to help me," Thorpe said.
The man, who left the scene, was not identified. Thorpe said he'd like to see him pursued by police.
"Violence has absolutely no place in the public discourse and will never be tolerated," Thorpe said in his statement. "My hope is that this individual is arrested and prosecuted."
Police did not immediately respond to questions about whether they will investigate and go after the alleged attacker.
Antioch Chamber of Commerce President Daniel Sohn told the East Bay Times that the incident happened in the parking lot of the event's venue and that the assailant was not a chamber guest.
Thorpe, who was elected in 2020 after having served as mayor pro tem and a council member, was the subject of an unsuccessful recall campaign that used his March arrest on suspicion of DUI as a cornerstone.
Thorpe pleaded not guilty, but the day after his arrest he apologized for what he said was a "lapse in judgement" for imbibing during dinner the previous night. The case is ongoing.
Thorpe has also faced calls for his resignation after an independent investigation this month concluded claims of sexual harassment made by two co-workers at a former workplace were substantiated, according to the East Bay Times.
Antioch, about 45 miles northeast of San Francisco, has a population of 114,801, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
A virtual flier for the chamber's luncheon at Lone Tree Golf Course & Event Center teased presentations by Thorpe and Mayor Randy Pope of the nearby city of Oakley.
