Transient man found guilty of assaulting security guard at Bakersfield mall

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A transient man faces up to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of assaulting a security guard with a deadly weapon and attempting to make criminal threats.

The Kern County District Attorney’s Office said a Kern County jury found Rodney Rusco guilty of assault with a deadly weapon and attempted criminal threats.

On Aug. 10, 2024, a security guard at the Town and Country shopping center on Stockdale Highway asked Rusco to leave the building, the DA’s office said. The security guard saw Rusco drinking from a wine bottle and loitering just outside a business at the mall.

According to the DA’s office, Rusco is a transient and has been trespassed from this mall before. Rusco refused to leave and responded with profanity. He then showed the handle of a kitchen knife in his pocket and told the security guard, “you’re done with a knife.”

Rusco left the security guard and walked towards another business, but did not leave the mall. The security guard followed Rusco to make sure he left the area. Rusco then left his belongings near a business and attacked the security guard with a glass wine bottle in his hand.

Rusco lifted the bottle above his head and shook it at the guard’s head. The security guard thought he was going to be hit with the bottle and raised his arm to prevent the attack. The bottle didn’t hit him, but Rusco’s wrist hit his forearm.

Officers from the Bakersfield Police Department arrived shortly thereafter and took Rusco into custody, the prosecutor’s office said. The knife and the wine bottle were still in his hand.

The judge found that Rusco had a valid strike conviction from 2016, that Rusco was on the run from parole when he committed the crime, and that other enhancements were correct.

District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer commented: “Security officers play a vital role in protecting both businesses and the community. In this example, the security guard appropriately asked Rusco to leave the building and was confronted with an escalating situation when Rusco refused and became violent. “Rusco’s actions demonstrate a disregard for public safety and he must now be held accountable for his actions.”

Rusco’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2025, where he faces up to 10 years in prison.