Briefly in the news

A 33-year-old Newport Beach man was arrested Tuesday after he struck

another man with an abalone iron -- a long, thin piece of iron normally

used to pry fish off rocks -- police said.

Police said Richard Luis Fischer began arguing with the victim about

1:20 p.m. in the 2100 block of Newport Boulevard.

When officers arrived, the bleeding victim had a cut on his head, Sgt.

Steve Shulman said. Officers found Fischer walking away from the scene,

he said.

The victim was taken to Hoag Hospital and received four stitches to

the back of his head, Shulman said.

Fischer, charged with assault with a deadly weapon, is being held in

Newport Beach jail with bail set at $50,000.