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Healthcare reform activist bites off fingertip of 65-year-old man, authorities say [Updated]
Los Angeles Times
Authorities today are searching for a healthcare reform activist who they said bit off the fingertip of a 65-year-old man during a fight at a MoveOn.org rally in Thousand Oaks.
“It all started with their difference in philosophy over healthcare reform,” said Senior Deputy Eric Buschow of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.
The incident occurred about 7 p.m. Wednesday at a “We Can’t Afford to Wait Vigil” organized by affiliates of the activist group MoveOn.org, which drew supporters of President Obama’s healthcare plan, Buschow said. The rally also attracted several counter-protesters, he said.
[Updated at 5 p.m.: During the rally at Lynn Road and Hillcrest Drive, near the Oaks Mall, the suspect and William James Rice got into a heated argument and began fighting, Buschow said. Rice, of Newbury Park, punched the suspect after the man called him an “idiot,” Buschow said.
William Rice, 65, of Newbury Park also confirmed reports that he threw the first punch in the confrontation that claimed part of his left pinky.
“When he got in my personal space, I popped him in the nose,” Rice said. “I felt like I had no choice other than to defend myself.”
At that point, one man bit off the the tip of Rice’s left pinkie finger, Buschow said.
After the argument, Rice returned to where his own group was standing. A man from Moveon.org’s area then walked over to the opponents and verbally confronted Rice, allegedly calling him names and acting aggressively, Bonfiglio said.
Rice later told investigators he felt threatened by the man and punched him in the nose, Bonfiglio said. The punch set off a fist fight between the two men, during which the tip of Rice’s left pinky finger was bitten off, Bonfiglio said.
Rice then drove himself to Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center, about a mile away, Buschow said. A witness picked up the detached fingertip after the suspect spit it out and drove it to the hospital. Buschow said doctors told the victim that they could not reattach the fingertip because of the high risk of infection.]
Ilyse Hogue, director of political advocacy and communications for MoveOn.org, called the incident “a regrettable act of violence” in a statement released this morning.
“While we do not have any more facts about what happened than what we saw in press accounts, MoveOn condemns violence in all forms,” Hogue said. “We support the Ventura County sheriff’s investigation into the situation. It is in our firm hope that this event does not detract from the tens of thousands who were out peacefully making their voices heard for health care reform and a public option.”
Authorities said they are looking for a white male in his late 40s or 50s who was last seen wearing black shorts and a black shirt.
“We’re still trying to figure out who was the aggressor,” Buschow said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department at (805) 494-8201.
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Courtesy photo / Ventura County Sheriff’s Department — This image provided by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department shows the beginning of an altercation between William Rice, at right in the khaki shirt and olive shorts, and an unidentified man wearing black, who authorities say bit off Rice’s little finger. The sheriff’s department is seeking the public’s help in identifying the man in black at far right, by calling the investigations bureau at (805)494-8201.
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Man accused in T.O. finger-biting incident sought
Ventura Star
Doctors told Rice the finger, severed near the second knuckle, would not survive because it had been cut by a human bite, he said in a phone interview today.
Rice said he did not initially plan to participate in any demonstration Wednesday. He was driving by the vigil when he spotted Code Pink members, and he stopped to see if they were protesting the military, he said. Rice has a son who is an officer in the Marine Corps.
After a brief conversation with Code Pink members, Rice said, he was satisfied they were not protesting the military. He was leaving when a man who seemed “deranged” approached and called him an “idiot,” he said.
Rice said he felt like the man had singled him out because he was the “easiest target.” But the incident happened quickly, he said, and he doesn’t clearly remember everything that preceded the altercation.
Scott Bush, 43, of Thousand Oaks said he was standing with Rice in the group opposed to healthcare reform when a man walked from the Moveon.org group across the street and over a traffic island toward them.
Bush said the man asked the group if they were for a public health insurer option, and they responded “no.” The man then singled out Rice and asked him why, according to Bush. When Rice responded that he didn’t want the government involved in anything, the man came to within 3 feet of Rice and yelled, “You’re an idiot,” Bush said.
Bush said Rice then hit the man in a defensive move. The man then pulled Rice into the street, according to Bush.
After a fight that lasted only a few seconds, Bush said, he heard Rice say, “He bit my finger off,” and he saw a stump.
Bush said he later found the roughly 1-inch piece of Rice’s finger next to the traffic island about 20 feet away.
The suspect fled the scene, authorities said. He was described as a short man with a medium build, wearing a blue cap, black shirt and black shorts. He remained at large this morning.
While who threw the first punch is not in dispute, much about what happened before and after remained unclear today, sheriff’s Detective Eric Buschow said.
Investigators had not determined, for example, if the man intended to bite off Rice’s finger, Buschow said.
Authorities did not consider the man a criminal suspect this morning and were not looking to arrest him, said the detective.
“We want him to come forward so we can talk to him. We want to hear his side,” Buschow said.
Anyone with information about the incident can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS
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Wild Thing’s comment………
Typical DemoSissy. He resorts to biting rather than fighting like a man.
Thousand Oaks is normally a pretty placid place with very little in the way of noteworthy violence. It got it’s name because of the many Oak trees in the area. It is a beautiful place and in a lot of the areas like living in the country. Emotions must be running strong on this issue!
….Thank you Mark for sending this to me.
Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67
Wow-at least we conservatives don’t go around biting people’s fingers off! Obviously the biter has serious mental problems, but that is really sad. We aren’t the ones who bring weapons or shout obscenities at the other side. Who takes the high road? We do. We don’t have to resort to name calling because we can baffle them with logic.
My tolerance for anyone supporting this administration has dropped below zero. Way below. How anyone can defend their actions while taking ugly shots at Palin and Beck is beyond my comprehension.
Great graphic WT. Have you written the script?
Is this the second incidence of violence by the leftists? The first was the man roughed up by the SEIU thugs, then this poor man loses a digit. That’s gotta hurt.
““We’re still trying to figure out who was the aggressor,” Buschow said.”
Wasn’t it Obama that said get in their face? That alone is inciting violence. The biter was in attack mode, the aggressor if you will. How many of those SEIU thugs are covering this guy’s butt? That’s aiding and abetting the criminal and all Senior Deputy Eric Buschow can say is they haven’t figured it out yet. The friggin’ police in the police state can label anyone they want as an aggressor and get away with it. Bullshit!!!
Just losing a finger like that hurts real bad. It don’t matter if it was biten off or a Table saw cut it off. You are in constant pain for about a day and a half. The pain is incessant and doesn’t stop, it just throbs for that long, I mean big time throb and the pain killers don’t touch it. You just get to a point where you just don’t care. When it does stop, it is like the weight of the whole world has been lifted off your shoulders. Also when the weather turns cold the damn thing hurts like hell, the nerves are blunted and the cold just disturbs everything in there.
This union maggot should be arrested and charged with assault. According to an eye-witness, who called Mark Steyn, sitting in for Rush, the guy said, ‘he singled out Bill rice.’ This is typical of the union thug mentality. Also the guy who called said he picked up the finger and took it to the hospital in hopes of reattaching it, but you read the answer above.
This is what obama has called for,” get in their face”, “intimidate them”, “they bring a knife you bring a gun”. This bastard obama is dividing the country. We will soon be fighting amongst ourselves and this is what he wants. An excuse to execute Martial Law, and bring on total government control.
I attend a number of these protest events. The last couple of times, there have been folks from the opposition there. I have had confrontations with a couple of them, and my feeling is that my life is too short to waste on some low-life who’s only defense is to call me names.
That being said,I am not sure how I would react if some one really got in my face, but I lean toward thinking that I would do what Mr. Rice did.
I am surprised that there was not a police presence there. Whenever I have been at rallys where both sides are present, in force, the police are very visible.
As far as Jack’s comment about the Police statement, I see it as an attempt to avoid making accusations that could later be thrown out of court, if it went that far. We do live in that Environment, unfortunately.
I agree with Mark that obama is seriously dividing the country. I don’t know if it is intentional or not, but it is surely happening. obama is also giving encouragement to the craziest of the Left’s loonies to do their thing. We thought Code Pink was an extreme group, but there are few as extreme as college student anarchists or union thugs. Get ready.
Do not blame the Democrats of Thousand Oaks for this. It was probably an ACORN agitator sent in by Obama. Whenever you hear a chant of “Health Care Now” It is a merc operation.
Think Obama is messing with your site. Cannot open many of the comment sections.
At this point buy ammo. I found a new Walmart and got another 500 rds of .45ACP. Now where can I get some C-4 ? Claymores would be great too.
This is starting to get serious. September 12 ought to prove one way or the other.
Register liberals, not guns!
Mark, I picked up some ‘law enforcement’ rounds for the 12ga at Sportsman’s Guide. One .650 ball and a bunch of little ones. Reminiscent of a load used during the civil war. As they said then, it gives you “a better chance ‘ter hit.”