A dispute over a parking ticket lead to an assault on a Baltimore City parking enforcement agent last week.
A female agent who was issuing a citation to a Fells Point motorist double-parked on the 100 block of West Clement Street was assaulted late Thursday evening after the motorist allegedly disputed the validity of the ticket.
City Department of Transportation officials characterized the assault as retaliation against the agent for writing a legal ticket.
“It?s sad and unfortunate agents cannot do their job without the fear of facing some repercussions for doing the right thing,” said Rosita Sabrosso-Rennick, spokeswoman for the DOT.
“This just shows how dangerous this job really is.”
DOT officials said the assailant fled the scene before police arrived. The agent had the motorist?s license plate number from the ticket, and police are now investigating. DOT officials added that the assailant would face severe penalties.
“This was a deliberate and unprovoked attack made upon a commissioned officer of the state of Maryland and we will be aggressively pursue charges,” said Kenneth Unitas, chief of safety in the city?s parking enforcement division.
DOT officials said this was the first case of retaliation against a parking enforcement agent in recent memory.
In February, a traffic enforcement agent was hit while directing traffic in downtown Baltimore, but Sabrosso-Rennick said an investigation determined the motorist hit the agent in error.
The agent involved in the assault received minor injuries and is now on leave, but Sabrosso-Rennick said the agent wants to return to work as soon as possible.
“If she feels she cannot emotionally come right back to work she is free to take some leave, but she is a strong young woman who wants to come back because she loves the job.”
