A Hamburg man is facing charges after he allegedly attacked a former co-worker at a Schuylkill County gas station last week.
According to police in Schuylkill Haven, the incident occurred on the afternoon of Sept. 3 at the Fast Fill, along Route 61. Police say they were responding to an assault that had just occurred.
After reviewing security footage provided by Fast Fill, police say Xavier Ortiz-Malave, 32, of Hamburg, Berks County, walked around the back of the store, approached two men who were standing in the parking lot.
Ortiz-Malave clearly starts talking to or yelling at one of the men, who does not react. He then swings and tries to punch the man, who blocks that attempt but does not block Ortiz-Malave’s second swing, which lands on his face.
Police say Ortiz-Malave then backs away slightly and assumes a fighting stance, squaring up to the victim while continuing to yell at him.
The victim, police say, stood in place after he just got punched and continued smoking a cigarette. Ortiz-Malave then lunges forward and hits the victim in the face for a second time. He then backs off and walks away around the back of the building as he continued yelling.
Police say the victim had a slightly swollen upper cheekbone and was in a bit of pain.
The victim told police that he didn’t know Ortiz-Malave was at Fast Fill at the time and was surprised to see him appear from around the back of the store. He said they used to be co-workers and that the attack in the parking lot was likely a continuation of a confrontation he’d had at his job.
Ortiz-Malave was allegedly not happy about being told the correct way to complete a task at work and decided to headbutt the victim at work, which got him fired.
Further investigation by police revealed that Ortiz-Malave has a suspended driver’s license and that he drove a vehicle to get himself to the gas station to confront the victim.
Police have charged Ortiz-Malave with a misdemeanor count of simple assault along with summary offenses of disorderly conduct, harassment, driving with a suspended license and driving without a license. He’s been ordered to appear for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 30.
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