Benjamin Mich Strickland
A 39-year-old man allegedly struck a business owner on the 600 block of Higuera Street in downtown San Luis Obispo Tuesday afternoon.
Shortly before 3 p.m., Benjamin Mich Strickland allegedly hit the business owner in the mouth. The attacker then fled the area by foot, according to a San Luis Obispo Police Department news release.
Officers located the Strickland about three blocks away. Police say Strickland is a transient resident of San Luis Obispo who has a history of violent assaults in the downtown area.
On Tuesday, officers arrested Strickland for battery and booked him in San Luis Obispo County Jail. His bail is set at $2,000.
Strickland’s previous encounters with police included charges of assault with a deadly weapon and battery causing great bodily injury in 2013.
