On August 6, police were called in response to a complaint of a significant family altercation at Richmond, California’s Rolling Hills Memorial Park cemetery. The family drama almost resulted in a second death.
According to Sgt. Aaron Pomeroy of the SFGate, the altercation was sparked by animosity between a brother and sister. The sister’s boyfriend apparently attempted to diffuse the conflict between the two when it broke out at the funeral, but the brother reportedly started pounding the man.
One person is accused of hitting the suspect, the deceased woman’s son, with a cane during the ensuing altercation, which apparently involved up to 20 family members. According to Richmond Police, the suspect, a 37-year-old Bay Point resident, then got into his car with the intention of hitting his sister.
The guy is said to have run over many gravestones before hitting a 33-year-old lady with the car who was not his sister. In the process, he reportedly overturned his mother’s coffin, broke a water main, damaged the grass, and smashed vases, soaking the funeral director’s grandmother’s burial ground.
His victim had non-life-threatening injuries and was brought to the hospital.
The man was accused of grave damage and criminal assault with a lethal weapon. He received first aid for his injuries before being taken to the Richmond Police Department jail.
The battle caused damage worth about $20,000.
Kamilah Thompson, the cemetery’s manager, described it as an odd incident and emphasized that the people buried at Rolling Hills Memorial remain secure.
