Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe is speaking out after he said a man punched him while leaving an event earlier in the week.
Thorpe had just wrapped up a speech on Tuesday during an event at the Lone Tree Golf Course and was heading to the parking lot.
“I hear my name. I someone yelling ‘Lamar, where have you been at? I turned around and notice this gentleman who I recognize,” Thorpe said.
Sources told NBC Bay Area Antioch resident Thomas McNell began yelling the mayor's name. McNell is one of the local residents, who signed a petition attempting to recall Thorpe last year.
The mayor claimed McNell brought that up on Tuesday, unhappy with remarks the mayor made towards him during a Fourth of July celebration, remarks the mayor didn’t deny.
“I walked by him and his wife, who were sitting down and I asked ‘how did the signatures gathering go?' Because I knew he was one of the original people who did the recall but it failed miserably,” Thorpe said.
That's when Thorpe said a shouting match turned into a face-to-face confrontation and when the mayor claimed McNell and it allegedly got physical.
"He put his hand in a fist like this but he hit me with this side of his fist, you know where the pinky is, and he hit me in the chest right here," Thorpe said.
Thorpe claimed that he blocked a second punch, before colleagues jumped in to break things up.
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NBC Bay Area reached out to McNell to get his side of the story. But he hasn't responded.
Antioch police said it's all under investigation with interim Police Chief Steven Ford said in a statement:
“They are taking the case very serious and are exhausting all resources as elected officials should never feel threatened or in harm’s way. They are actively gathering all of the facts and will submit them to the district attorney’s office for final review.”
As the investigation continues, Thorpe said disagreements are part of the job. But this latest incident leaves him feeling a bit uneasy.
“I don’t always anticipate that they’re going to get physical but obviously, that’s no longer the case,” Thorpe said.
