We’ll call the letter carrier “Michael” since he asked not to reveal too much about his identity, Stoogenke said.
He says someone attacked him near Albemarle Road in east Charlotte.
In many of these attacks, the criminals were after the letter carrier’s keys, also known as arrow keys, so they could steal mail.
But Michael says, in his case, the man drove up in a car and jumped out, complaining about a delivery. Michael says the alleged attacker then “became aggressive, swung at me,” landed punches, wrestled with him, and told him, “He would return to his vehicle and get a firearm and shoot me.”
Michael says the man eventually left, but, according to the victim’s medical records, left the letter carrier with the following injuries: abrasion, hematoma (like a bruise), and sprain.
He asked the U.S. Postal Service not to send him back on the same route, especially because he says investigators haven’t arrested the man and, according to an email he says federal agents sent him, prosecutors don’t plan to pursue this case. It’s not clear why.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever been a victim of a crime, but it’s hard to return to the scene,” he said.
But Michael says he didn’t get the response he hoped for. He says his boss gave him a Letter of Warning. It says USPS and the property owner offered him security at the site, but that he turned it down and that if he doesn’t “discharge his duties,” he could face more discipline, even lose his job.