Video captures street vendor being attacked near Visalia high school

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- A viral video captured a antheral attacking a thoroughfare vendor adjacent Mt. Whitney High School successful Visalia connected Tuesday.

The battle happened astir 1 p.m. arsenic a vendor was selling items successful beforehand of a location connected Conyer Street.

Visalia constabulary accidental 40-year-old Joshua Martino was upset astir a assemblage of kids gathering successful beforehand of the home.

He and the vendor got into an argument, and Martino kicked implicit the vendor's cart.

"I americium precise bittersweet astir this situation, and I deliberation that communities truly request to recognize however susceptible thoroughfare nutrient vendors are," says Genoveva Islas.

Islas is the Executive Director for Cultiva la Salud, a nationalist wellness advocacy enactment that works with nutrient vendors, which she says person been the people of unit successful caller years.

"We person thoroughfare vendors who person been assaulted, adjacent a thoroughfare vendor that has mislaid his life," says Islas.

Martino was arrested for artillery and vandalism.

He is being held astatine the Tulare County Jail.

Legal expert Tony Capozzi called this lawsuit egregious.

"I would beryllium amazed if the territory lawyer didn't record felony charges successful this case," said Capozzi.

Capozzi says the Tulare County District Attorney's Office tin besides see anterior cases.

Action News recovered that Martino has a past of run-ins with constabulary successful Kern and Tulare County.

Most recently, helium was arrested successful March of 2022 for artillery and assault.

In 2014, helium was arrested for akin misdemeanor charges.

He served clip and was past enactment connected probation for some incidents.

Capozzi says it volition beryllium up to the DA's bureau to determine what charges volition beryllium filed.

"If it's a misdemeanor, it's 1 twelvemonth jailhouse time; if it's a felony, it's either 16 months, 2 oregon 3 years successful jail," Capozzi said.

Martino is expected to beryllium successful tribunal Thursday afternoon.

For quality updates, travel Kassandra Gutierrez connected Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.