Police: Safeway employee beaten with baguette by Fremont man

A man attacked a Safeway employee with a loaf of French bread, police said. A man attacked a Safeway employee with a loaf of French bread, police said. Photo: Getty Photo: Getty Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Police: Safeway employee beaten with baguette by Fremont man 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

A Fremont man went on a rampage that ended with him beating a Safeway employee with a loaf of French bread Sunday, according to police.

The man, identified by police as 39-year-old Adam Kowarsh, allegedly entered the Safeway on the 39100 block of Argonaut Way in Fremont "yelling and screaming" at about 11:49 p.m. Sunday, according to Geneva Bosques, a spokeswoman for the Fremont Police Department.

The man stormed into the back of the store and started yelling at employees, who told him he needed to pay for his items and leave, Bosques said.

One employee attempted to calm Kowarsh, but Kowarsh responded by pushing him several times, then grabbing a loaf of French bread and hitting him in the face, according to Bosques. The victim was struck multiple times, police said.

"While the victim did not sustain major injuries, he wanted to press charges," police said in a statement.

Officers arrived on the scene and told Kowarsh to leave the store, but he was on a roll and continuing to yell, police said. More officers arrived and Kowarsh was handcuffed, led from the Safeway, and booked into Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of battery and a probation violation, police said.

He is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Wednesday, and his bail is set at $5,000, according to county records.

Filipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on Twitter.