All students know Milwaukee’s Best is a horrible beer, but the full meaning of this came to a Madison woman as she was hit on the head with a full can of this beer, which was one of two recent criminal incidents, according to reports released Monday.
With no explanation as to from whom or where it came, the can seemed to have fallen from above and struck the woman Wednesday morning while walking down W. Johnson Street.
“The officer believed the can came from an elevated area, but they weren’t able to figure out where it came from,” Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said.
According to the incident report, the 21-year-old woman and her boyfriend were crossing the street when the victim was hit by what her boyfriend assumed was a snowball. He soon realized it was a beer can when it exploded upon landing on the ground.
The boyfriend looked up to a nearby balcony, but did not find anyone, DeSpain said.
Although the victim did not fall or lose consciousness during the incident, she did sustain an injury requiring three stitches above her hairline.
While throwing a can of beer at a victim is considered battery, DeSpain said throwing snow may or may not be considered battery, depending on whether criminal intent or recklessness is involved.
“If someone’s just having a friendly snowball fight and someone happens to get a cut from it, that’s probably not a crime,” DeSpain said. “But if somebody dropped a chunk of ice or a big snowball from a roof onto an unsuspecting person and injured them, that would be battery.”
Although the Madison Fire Department has responded to a number of snow-related injuries incurred during vehicle collisions and snowball fights, MPD has not seen any injuries as a result of criminal activity this winter, DeSpain said.
In another recent incident, robbery suspect Peter Gabriel Hamilton was arrested Saturday for burglary, carrying a concealed weapon and bail jumping.
The interesting twist to the incident, DeSpain said, is the arrest resulted from the investigative efforts of an “amateur detective.”
Upon having his bicycle stolen Dec. 4 from his apartment basement, the victim — a 20-year old Madison resident — searched for and found his Gary Fisher mountain bike on Craigslist.
The victim and a police officer then planned a sting operation, agreeing to meet the seller in the tunnel behind the Kohl Center, the incident report said.
The officer recognized the seller, who had been arrested Dec. 6 for another case of robbery. The victim found a sticker on the bicycle confirming it was his.
The victim then took his bicycle for a “test drive,” a signal to the officer who then made the arrest, DeSpain said.
To prevent robberies during the winter bicycle storage months, DeSpain recommends owners find a secure area, and use a high-quality lock.
Additionally, DeSpain suggests owners register their bicycles, which in the case of a robbery, ensures they will be returned to their rightful owners if recovered.