Photo: Nicholas Andre Kimmons in a 2020 Facebook photo
EL CERRITO – A call came in to El Cerrito Police on the afternoon of April 29 that an assault had occurred at San Pablo and Potrero Avenues.
The suspect approached a 69-year-old Middle Eastern man and asked him for a cigarette. Upon being refused, the suspect then made race-based comments and punched the victim in the head, rendering him unconscious.
Officers arrived and located the suspect nearby. The suspect refused to comply with the officers, so a “standing bear hug” was deployed to detain the suspect.
Handcuffed, the erratic suspect then refused to sit in the police car. ” Officers used a WRAP device (made by Safe Restraints, Inc. https://saferestraints.com/) to immobilize him and called for a medical response to evaluate his physical wellbeing.”
40-year-old Richmond resident Nicholas Andre Kimmons was taken to the hospital for a health check. Pending charges for felony battery with enhancements for a hate crime and elder abuse are due to follow.
The victim’s also “sought medical treatment for his injuries.”