Panhandler arrested after alleged coffee assault

A man was arrested for allegedly throwing a cup of hot coffee at a 7-Eleven clerk’s face after an altercation in the store early Monday morning, police said Tuesday.

The incident began at about 2:05 a.m. Monday when the suspect, later identified as 37-year-old Oluwole Olugbemiga, was panhandling inside the store located at 15101 Hesperian Blvd., according to police. When a store clerk asked the suspect to stop, he became agitated and punched the clerk in the chest twice, then threw the hot coffee in the face of another clerk, police said.

Officers responded and found Olugbemiga, a Fremont resident, outside of the store and yelling at the clerks. The store was in disarray, with food items from shelves thrown on the floor, police said.

Officers then arrested Olugbemiga on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and transported him to jail, according to police. The clerk who had the coffee thrown at him suffered minor burns to his face and was treated and released at the scene, police said.