MILWAUKEE — Neighbors, business owners and elected officials expressed outrage and concern Tuesday after a city worker was beaten and stabbed while on the job.
According to Milwaukee Police, the parking enforcement officer was citing a car on North 67th near West Villard about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday when two people confronted him. The fight escalated to the attackers beating and stabbing the employee. He escaped to his car and drove to the District 4 police station for help.
"You shouldn’t have to worry about doing your job when you’re trying to make a living," said Joseph Kaminski, owner of DJ Golden Chicken. His restaurant is a block from where the city worker was attacked.
"It was gut wrenching. I mean, after all the incidents that have happened to city workers, folks who are public servants out there just doing their job on a daily basis, for another person to be accosted and hurt the way this person was in my district it was appalling," said District 2 Alderman Cavalier Johnson.
"From my standpoint, just a couple of morons who are hopefully going to do some serious prison time as a result of this," said Mayor Tom Barrett.
"It was gut wrenching. I mean, after all the incidents that have happened to city workers, folks who are public servants out there just doing their job on a daily basis, for another person to be accosted and hurt the way this person was in my district it was appalling." — District 2 Alderman Cavalier Johnson
Barrett told reporters the worker was wearing a bulletproof vest during the attack.
"He believes and I believe also that helped him to stave off more serious injuries both from a knife attack and from the physical attack," said Barrett.
With yet another city employee attacked, city leaders say they are always reevaluating safety precautions.
"I’m sure that this incident will give us pause and make us rethink some of those things or probably even add new things to make sure that our city workers are protected when they’re out serving the public," said Johnson.
Milwaukee Police said they have two people of interest in custody.
The parking enforcement officer has not been identified.
