PHOENIX — Phoenix police are investigating after the founder of a local nonprofit was allegedly assaulted while providing food to the homeless community Saturday night.
Erik Sanchez, the founder of MASA Arizona, was at 23rd Avenue and Indian School Road with his team when he says a couple drove up to him while he was offering food to people.
Sanchez says he offered the man and woman a meal, but then demanded they leave after they started yelling at the unhoused people in the area.
"If you really cared about these people, you would get them the [expletive] out of our [expletive] streets," a woman can be heard saying in a video Sanchez took of the incident.
Do you have a concern in your community or a news tip? We want to hear from you!
Connect with us: share@abc15.com
"The fact that I have to carry any type of defensive or offensive weaponry or tools to protect myself and these clients from the public really tells you there's an issue," Sanchez said, pointing to the non-lethal pepper ball guns on his hips.
According to police, officers were sent to the area on an assault call around 8:30 p.m.
Sanchez says while this one was more drastic than most, these types of confrontations happen every few months.
"I've been assaulted on the canal. I had a firearm pulled on me and stuck into my hip, telling us that this was their turf. We don't belong there," Sanchez shared.
Despite these threats, Sanchez remains committed to helping the community.
"We're not paid to defend these people. We're not paid to feed these people. We are defending them, feeding them, and helping them because that is the right thing to do," he said.
Police have confirmed they are reviewing all the video evidence provided by Sanchez and his team. As of now, the attackers remain at large, no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
