Police Arrest Suspect after Attempted Assault at Ritter Center

San Rafael police officers arrested a local man accused of assaulting and attempting to assault two people Monday morning.

Barry Lee Smith, 46, was booked in on Monday morning on two felony charges: assault with a deadly weapon and drug possession.

Smith allegedly attempted to hit a employee with a pair of pliers after he was asked to remove his belongings off the sidewalk, according to police spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher. The employee pushed Smith away and reported the incident to another staff member who called the police.

During that time, Rohrbacher said Smith challenged another Ritter client to a fight and attempted to stab him in the leg with a pointed blade Smith had hidden in his pocket.

“When police officers arrived, they also found a glass pipe with methamphetamine in his waistband,” she said.

His bail is $50,000.