Verbal Altercation Leads to Hammer Assault at Rochester Park

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A homeless man has been charged for an alleged assault involving a hammer at a Rochester park. 

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That’s according to a criminal complaint filed in Olmsted County Court on Tuesday. Rochester police responded to the alleged attack shortly before 6:00 Monday evening. 

Court records indicate the man charged in the attack has a prior felony conviction. 

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Homeless Man Accused of Striking Man Multiple Times With Hammer During Assault at Rochester Park

37-year-old David Joseph Anthony Proszek is charged with second-degree assault and gross misdemeanor fifth-degree assault. 

The complaint says the alleged assault happened at a southeast Rochester park but does not say which park it occurred at.

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A man at the park told police he saw Proszek and the victim exchanging verbal insults while the two were around a picnic table. Proszek then struck the victim twice in the head with a small black hammer, the charges say. 

Officers spoke with the victim, who the court document says did not retaliate during the alleged assault. He told police that he heard a crack and ringing in his ears when he was struck by the hammer.

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He alleged Proszek hit him three times. Proszek told officers the victim was the aggressor, the complaint says. 

The charges say police smelled alcohol coming from Proszek’s person. Court records indicate Proszek was convicted of threats of violence in a 2019 case in Dakota County. 

Proszek is being held on $50,000 bail. He is due back in court next month.