Bystanders stop attack on two women at North Auburn park, deputies say

An unhoused Auburn man accused of violently attacking two women, including an elderly wheelchair user, at a North Auburn park is being held without bail as he awaits his next court appearance in Placer Superior Court.

Michael Lee Appleberry, 49, was arrested following the May 23 assault at North Auburn’s Chana Park, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post Monday.

Investigators said a woman was fishing with her son and her elderly mother when Appleberry allegedly attacked them. The Sheriff’s Office said the elderly woman was knocked from her wheelchair, fell to the ground and briefly lost consciousness. The second woman was knocked to the ground and repeatedly punched in the head.

Two bystanders intervened after hearing the woman’s cries for help, deputies said. One man tackled Appleberry and, with the help of another man at the park, restrained him until deputies arrived.

Deputies reached the park within minutes of receiving reports of an assault in progress and found Appleberry being held by the two men, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said Appleberry resisted arrest and later spit blood on medical personnel as he was being treated in detainment.

Authorities said Appleberry was a guest at The Gathering Inn, a homeless shelter about a mile south of the park, at the time of his arrest.

Appleberry was arraigned May 27 in Placer Superior Court, charged with causing injury to an elder or dependent adult, battery causing serious bodily injury, assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury and battery against an emergency worker. He entered a plea of not guilty, according to court records.

Jail records show he is being held without bail in the infirmary at the South Placer Jail in Roseville.

Appleberry also faces misdemeanor charges of resisting or obstructing a peace officer or emergency medical technician and battery, as well as allegations stemming from a 2023 assault case involving a weapon.

Appleberry’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 9.

In a statement, the Sheriff’s Office commended the two bystanders, saying their actions stopped the attack and likely prevented additional injuries.