By Olivia Young
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DENVER (KCNC) — The holidays can be a stressful time for postal workers and delivery drivers, but what one Denver man says he experienced from a United States Postal Service worker goes beyond reasonable frustration.
A man says he was violently attacked by an on-duty mail carrier after calmly confronting him about how he was parked.
It happened on Friday at Neko Ramen & Rice on Colorado Boulevard in Denver.
The victim works at a nearby business and shared his story with CBS News Colorado reporter Olivia Young, asking CBS Colorado not to use his name out of fear of the person who attacked him.
“I definitely understand the term ‘going postal’ now,” the victim said.
A broken cheekbone and stitches in his forehead are marks that the man says he never saw coming from a postal worker.
“That kind of aggression, like you, you’d see from like somebody in prison, not from somebody that’s out serving people in the public,” the victim said.
Friday afternoon, he says he noticed a USPS van parked unsafely outside his work.
“He was parked diagonally, kind of like across three spots and also partly into the spot that I was parked in and jutting out,” the victim said.
It’s a busy parking lot, and the victim says he was hit by a car there just the day before.
“He’s causing a dangerous situation. When he got out of the vehicle, there was a small crowd around him,” the victim said. “He said, ‘What?’ because he kind of realized that everybody was looking at him. I was like, you know, ‘bro, look at the way you’re parked.’ And he said a couple slurs to me at that point.”
The mail carrier allegedly cussed at him and walked into Neko Ramen to drop off a package.
“My mistake was, I followed him into the restaurant to let him know, ‘hey, there’s a reason why I’m trying to tell you that the parking is dangerous. I was just run over yesterday. One of our drivers was hit,'” the victim said.
Before the victim could finish, he says the mailman charged at him.
“I remember his eyes were just, like crazy,” the victim said. “He head-butted me, punched me a few times. I don’t know exactly how many times, but it was a good few-piece combo.”
The restaurant erupted in chaos and the mailman ran out. Bleeding, the victim stumbled out and snapped a few photos of the USPS van leaving.
“One of the employees that came over and brought me an ice pack and said, ‘I saw the whole thing. I mean, he was just crazy. He just attacked you out of nowhere,'” the victim said. “I was just stunned. I didn’t understand.”
The victim reported the incident to police and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service before heading to the emergency room.
The victim says he successfully identified the driver out of a lineup, and Denver Police issued a warrant for his arrest.
“He’s not fit to be out in public, let alone serving the public,” the victim said.
Denver police say they’re investigating but could not confirm the warrant was issued or share any details. They said no arrests have been made yet.
USPS said in a statement, “The Postal Service is aware of the reported incident involving a letter carrier in Denver. We take any allegation of employee misconduct extremely seriously.
Because this matter involves an active law enforcement investigation, we cannot confirm specific details, including the identity or employment history of the individual involved. We are fully cooperating with the Denver Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service as they review the circumstances.
The Postal Service expects all employees to uphold the highest standards of conduct while serving their communities. Any behavior that compromises the safety of our customers or the integrity of our operations is not tolerated.”
USPS says they background-check all employees and hire on a case-by-case basis, sharing a subsequent statement:
“The U.S. Postal Service is committed to maintaining a safe and secure work environment for all employees and customers. As part of our hiring process, every prospective employee undergoes a thorough background check. This process is designed to assess the candidate’s qualifications and ensure compliance with federal regulations and USPS standards.
While we consider a variety of factors during the hiring process, including the nature of any past offenses, we also recognize the importance of providing opportunities for rehabilitation and reintegration into the workforce. Each application is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the individual’s skills, experience, and the relevance of their background to the position for which they are applying.”
“I didn’t think for a second that I would have to look out for my own public servants,” the victim said. “Nobody else should have to be in danger because of their mailman. People like that just shouldn’t be working for the public.”
The victim cannot eat solid foods and says he was told he may have permanent scarring on his head and nerve damage in his jaw.
As his wounds heal, his sense of security is also shattered.
“I always gave people the benefit of the doubt and tried to see the positive in everyone,” the victim said. “But after this incident, I’m going to hesitate a little bit. It’ll haunt me for a while.”
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says it’s aware of the alleged incident, but Denver Police are leading the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.
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