A jogger suspected of spitting randomly at people, primarily those who weren’t wearing face coverings, has been arrested, the Glendale Police Department announced Friday.

The man allegedly taunted his victims — whose ages ranged from 13 to 78 — and used racial slurs during some of the unprovoked assaults, a police news release stated.

The incidents occurred late last year, and police released a bulletin with photos of the shirtless man on Dec. 23 as they sought help to identify the suspect.

In once incident that took place about 3 p.m. on Dec. 2 in the 1200 block of Ethel Street, the jogger allegedly approached a victim and told him to go back to his country, then slapped him on the back of his head. 

“The suspect has assaulted random people for not wearing masks or other unprovoked reasons,” the police bulletin stated.  

On Dec. 30, detectives were investigating the case when they received a call around 4 p.m. about a jogger who had spit in someone’s face, according to police.

They responded to the area and encountered a man who matched the description of the suspect. He was identified as James Howard, 38, of Glendale.

“Howard admitted to committing the series of reported assaults along with other assaults that had not been reported,” the release read.

He was arrested and booked on suspicion of battery and elder abuse, along with a hate crime allegation, according to police.

Investigators have linked eight incidents to Howard but believe there may be more cases that haven’t been reported. Police are urging any other potential victims to call the department’s detective bureau at 818-548-3106. 

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/glendale-jogger-arrested-after-allegedly-spitting-on-multiple-people-for-not-wearing-face-masks/