All buffed up

A dispute between two UA employees led to their arrest on charges of disorderly conduct following a quarrel over buffing the Student Union Memorial Center floors at 4:38 a.m. on Nov. 26.

When University of Arizona Police Department officers arrived, they met with a supervisor who said the two had been separated. Officers then spoke with each employee individually.

One employee was walking down the east walkway when he noticed the other employee buffering the floors. He observed that the other employee was using a different buffer from the day before, and asked him way. The working employee responded that the previous buffer was sporadically turning off.

“Maybe there is something wrong with you,” the first man said. “That is why the floors looks so crappy yesterday.”

The working employee, saying, “It’s not the machine, it’s the monkey that operates it.”

The harassed employee then grabbed the heckling man by the neck, pushing him against the wall leaning over a railing. The man said he feared for his life, and fought off the attack until he was able to stand upright again.

No words were exchanged during the scuffle, but the employee who attacked the other man said he’d beat him up if he saw him again.

Some red marks on the attacked employee’s neck were the sole injury resulting from the conflict.
The attacked employee said he wanted to press for assault charges against the worker who choked him. The assailant was booked and transported to Pima County Jail on charges of disorderly conduct and assault.

Driver causes domino effect

UAPD officers responded to a four-car collision near Campbell Avenue and Hawthorne Street at 8:51 a.m. on Nov. 27.

The accident was caused when a female driver rear-ended a stopped car, causing the chain-accident. The woman said she hadn’t realized traffic had stopped so suddenly, and drove into the car in front of her at an estimated speed of 20 mph. All of the other vehicles were stopped when they were struck from behind, causing them to hit the car in front of them.

One of the drivers reported minor neck pains, but didn’t seek medical attention.

The car of the woman who initiated the accident suffered significant damage to the front hood and bumper. The car she hit had its air bags deployed, and the back bumper and hood bent out of shape. The other two vehicles experienced damage to their bumpers and paint scratches.

All the vehicles were cleared from the roadway and everyone involved was given a case number for their records.

No middle ground

A UA Parking and Transportation Services employee and student were referred to UAPD for disorderly conduct in the lot just north of the Speech and Hearing Sciences building at 12:08 p.m. on Nov. 27. The employee said he was driving on the lot’s ramp toward Palm Street when the student pulled alongside him and extended his middle finger, saying, “You have to yield the right of way!”

The employee exited his car and approached the student’s motorcycle to write down the license plate number. The student became “very upset, yelling and extending his middle finger in an aggressive manner.”

The student said the employee pulled out in front of him, forcing him to avoid collision by slamming on his brakes. When the student asked for his supervisor, the employee got out of his car to call the police.

“Go ahead, call the cops. I did nothing wrong,” the student replied.

Since the incident took place on private property, no citations were issued. Parking and Transportation Services forwarded the student’s information to the dean of students, and both people left the scene without further incident.