Two people were injured in Tustin, California, last week when a San Diego County man attacked staff members at a vaccination clinic at the Families Together Clinic in that city.
Tustin police said after the attack that 911 operators got a call from the clinic in the 600 block of West 1st Street just before 10 a.m. on Dec. 30. According to the caller, a man – later identified by police as Poway resident Thomas Apollo, 43 — had attacked workers at the COVID-19 vaccination clinic and that he was being held there by bystanders and staff.
Two people were believed to have been hurt in the incident, before which, a witness told a reporter for NBC’s Los Angeles affiliate, Powell allegedly yelled that the pandemic was a hoax. Both victim have since returned to work.
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Apollo was arrested after police arrived and was booked into the Orange County Jail for battery and resisting arrest, investigators said, adding that the case was forwarded to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for review.
The Families Together Clinic, which primarily offers medical, dental, vision and wellness services, has since released a statement that said the man police say is responsible for the incident “harassed patients and attacked staff members” and that one member of the vaccination team “sustained serious injuries and was sent to the hospital in an ambulance.”
“We’re extremely saddened to report that staff members working to help vaccinate patients in Tustin were attacked last week,” the clinic said, in part, in the statement. “While Families Together believes that vaccines are important in the fight against the pandemic, we understand that the decision to get vaccinated is purely personal. However, we will not tolerate violence or harassment of any kind against our staff, patients or volunteers. We’re proud of the strength and bravery of our team, and while this incident has shaken us, we will not be deterred from our mission to keep our community safe and healthy. On the contrary, it has motivated us to fight even harder.”
