Teen visiting UA attacks Mall preacher

Arizona Daily Wildcat Mall preacher Yashua has been coming the UA campus for years. Last week a high school student attacked him on the Mall, taking his Bible and putting him in a headlock.

The student, a 16-year-old boy from Cottonwood who was at the University of Arizona for a National FFA Organization conference, confronted the preacher, known only as "Dave" or "Yoshua," and began tugging at his Bible shortly before 2:20 p.m., eventually taking it, witnesses told police.

Police responded to a call reporting a fight in progress, but no one was fighting when officers arrived on the Mall in front of the Memorial Student Union, 1303 E. University Blvd. One witness led police to Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd., and pointed out the boy, who had already left the scene.

The boy told police he did take the preacher's Bible and later returned and dumped soda on him, police reports stated.

Cody Hill, a management information systems senior, witnessed the altercation and said the argument started when the preacher began making comments about people's mothers and fathers being separated from God and the boy took them personally.

The boy got the preacher in a head lock and the two stumbled over a curb, spilling the boy's drink, Hill said.

Members of FFA, which was formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, then pulled the boy away, and the boy told the preacher, "You owe me a Coke," before crushing the drink cup on the preacher's shoulder, Hill said.

Dennis Fiscus, state adviser for FFA and supervisor of agricultural education for the Arizona Department of Education, told police he would take care of the incident through his office, police reports stated.

Fiscus could not be reached for comment.

The preacher told police he did not want to press charges, and he refused to give officers any further information, including his full name.