A homeless man found sleeping inside a church escalated a disturbance into a violent encounter by allegedly wielding a 5-foot metal pipe against three workers who had roused him, according to police reports.
Identified as 28-year-old Donald Malone, the individual was apprehended following the Saturday morning incident at Trinity United Methodist Church, situated near the intersection of Bancroft Way and Dana Street in Berkeley. Contractors on site around 10:45 a.m., who were engaged in renovations of the long-shuttered church, discovered Malone within the premises.
A verbal exchange quickly deteriorated into a heated confrontation.
Video footage captured on a cellphone depicts Malone grasping the metal pipe, displaying aggressive behavior while shouting at the trio of workers, as one of them contacted the authorities.
In the video, Malone can be heard shouting, “Hey! You’re acting like you’re innocent!” showcasing the intense nature of the stand-off.
“He’s approaching us,” one victim told the dispatcher.
“Get away from me!” Malone yelled, according to the video, which cuts off shortly afterward.
Malone then attacked the three contractors with the pipe, police said.
Cops allegedly found extensive damage in the building worth an estimated $20,000.
A UC Berkeley police officer happened to be driving nearby and was flagged down by the victims, Malone was then arrested.
Alameda County prosecutors charged Malone with three felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one felony count of vandalism.
Electrical equipment had been damaged, speakers were knocked over and a drum set was smashed, Berkeley police spokesman Officer Byron White said.
The alleged attack happened across from UC Berkeley’s Recreational Sports Facility, the university’s main gym, during a busy move-in weekend for Cal students.
Malone has a prior assault conviction, according to court records.
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office filed a petition Tuesday to revoke his probation.