Teen tells police striker threatened him

Mike Swanson

Police arrested a 31-year-old Pavilions striker who reportedly

threatened a group of teenagers with an aluminum bat after they’d

crossed the picket line and bought a bag of bread at about 5 p.m.

Oct. 17.

Lake Forest resident Seth Leader told police that he snapped after

being provoked by one of the four teenagers in the 1978 Honda Civic.

He followed the car in his Ford Explorer after a verbal exchange near

the store, and then pulled a bat from his car after the teens stopped

at the private gate at Altview Terrace.

Brian Cronin, 16, the passenger whom Leader was reportedly angry

with, said he, his two friends and his 13-year-old sister didn’t know

they’d been followed until Leader was outside their car wielding a

bat above his head. Leader is also accused of kicking the

passenger-side door, causing a small dent.

“I don’t know what he was so angry about,” Brian said. “He came up

to my window and was screaming at me to get out the car as we were at

the red light to get on Coast Highway.

“I called him an idiot because he was acting like an idiot, and I

guess that made him angry enough to decide to follow us.”

Leader started to run through the private gate after the car,

Brian said, but then he turned around and left.

The teens called police when they reached Brian’s house, and

Leader turned himself in not long afterward, Sgt. Jason Kravetz said.

Leader was arrested on suspicion of attempted assault with a

deadly weapon and vandalism and released late that night after his

bail was reduced from $60,000 to $10,000, Kravetz said.

“When people get together as a mob-like unit and stay angry all

day, I guess it can make them do rash things,” Brian said.

Kravetz said the suspect and victim told police different stories

about who antagonized whom first, but it didn’t matter considering

how Leader responded.

“For whatever reason, he just lost it,” Kravetz said.

Brian said he recognized Leader from frequenting Pavilions, and he

hopes he doesn’t have to see him again if the strike is settled.

“I think threatening a bunch of kids with a bat is a pretty good

reason to get fired,” Brian said. “I’d sure prefer to not meet with

him again.”