La Mesa business owner in custody following altercation with media
WARNING: This story contains graphic images and video containing expletives and scenes of violence.
LA MESA (KUSI) – According to the La Mesa Police Department Peter Carzis, 76, of La Mesa was taken into custody Tuesday morning on charges of felony vandalism and misdemeanor battery following a well-publicized altercation with members of the media in La Mesa Monday.
Residents in La Mesa said the business owner is terrorizing the community, attacking them and committing lewd acts in front of his shop. The situation escalated Monday when Carzis had a physical altercation with media personnel who attempted to ask him about the incident, including KUSI’s Dan Plante.
Police said Carzis was located early Tuesday morning in the City of San Diego. Carzis has been placed under arrest by La Mesa Police Detectives and will eventually be booked into the San Diego County Jail after being medically cleared.
A press release from La Mesa Police said Carzis is accused of battering multiple reporters and causing irreparable damage to a video camera. Carzis is also the suspect in two other reported crimes, a misdemeanor battery and a misdemeanor lewd act in public, which occurred on Saturday, January 18th in front of Peter’s Men’s Apparel in La Mesa.
If anyone has information related to any of these incidents, or would like to report an additional crime, they are asked to call the La Mesa Police Department at 619-667-1400 or the Crime Stoppers’ anonymous toll-free tip line (888) 580-TIPS (or www.sdcrimestoppers.com).
