San Mateo police said five to seven individuals opposed to Proposition 8, which would take away the right for same-sex couples to marry, were displaying signs at the intersection of Third Avenue and Humboldt Street. Ten to 15 supporters of the proposition were displaying signs of their own.
Around 4 p.m., an argument began between a man in his 20s and a 17-year-old girl when police said the man knocked down the girl and struck her in the head.
Police said a man, later identified as 35-year-old Ivan Schaumkel, ran up and spit in the girl's face. A resident nearby attempted to help break up the altercation but was punched in the face by a male juvenile, police said.
The juvenile and Schaumkel were both arrested for assault by responding officers and released but the initial suspect is still outstanding. He is described as a Polynesian man, 6 feet 2 inches, 250 pounds, and was wearing a white T-shirt.
