Halloween High Jinks Result in Allegation of Assault

The Berkley Public Safety Department is investigating after a teenage trick-or-treater reported that an adult grabbed him and shoved him into a vehicle on Halloween.

The trick-or-treater reported at 7:25 p.m. Oct. 31 that a man grabbed him by the arm and shoved him into a truck parked nearby on the 3860 block of Bacon, according to a Public Safety report.

The boy and the adult agreed that the trick-or-treater had been taunting the man, who was dressed as horror film character "Jason" and was using a chainsaw to frighten passersby, but after that their stories diverged, the responding officer noted.

The teen told the officer the man yelled at him to leave him alone and appeared to have been drinking before the alleged assault. The trick-or-treater showed the officer a bruise on his arm that he said was caused by the man grabbing him, according to the report.

The man told the officer that he had been running around in character near his parents' house chasing older kids with a real chainsaw without the blade. The man said the victim and five of the boy's friends had been goofing around outside his parents' home for several hours and he told them repeatedly to leave as they were "disturbing the setting he was trying to create for the night," according to the report.

Three of the kids surrounded the man in the street and began mocking him, mimicking the way he was acting with the chainsaw and refusing to get out of the road, the man told the officer. He said he grabbed one of the trick-or-treaters to move him out of the road and told him to leave, according to the report.

The man admitted to having a few drinks during the evening but denied hitting anyone, the report said.

Residents or business owners who have information to report or who notice something unusual in their neighborhood can call the Berkley Public Safety Department at 248-658-3380 or the Huntington Woods Public Safety Department at 248-541-1180. Public Safety officials encourage residents and business owners to keep their doors and windows secured at all times.