Trump voter in a MAGA hat has his teeth smashed out by New York author in random supermarket attack

A 60-year-old man who is working on a book filled with veteran stories from the Vietnam War beat up a stranger because of his Trump 2024 hat, local police have claimed.

The revelation was made as Robert Yott, 60, was arrested following the incident at Upstate New York supermarket Tops Friday, and hit with a felony charge of assault.

Cops recalled descending on the store a little after 10am to find Yott's alleged victim battered and badly bruised, with several broken teeth and a mouth pouring blood.

The small police department that oversees the village where it happened described the altercation in question in a statement, saying it 'appears to be a random act of violence'.

Booked without bail, Yott was angered over the unnamed victim's attire, they confirmed - as reports and book listings show the suspect is a self-published author well-known within the community.

'On [November 1], around 10:00am, the Village of Bath Police Department was dispatched to a fight at the Tops Friendly Markets,' the press release from The Village of Bath Police Department said. 

'It was determined that [Yott]... initiated [the] confrontation with [the] stranger inside Tops, after becoming aggressive over the fact that the stranger was wearing a Trump 2024 hat.

'[Yott] punched the victim in the mouth and head several times, causing the victim's teeth to be broken and mouth bloody,' the Saturday statement continued. 

'[Yott] was not known to the victim and this appears to be a random act of violence.'

The release added how Yott lives in Bath - a small town of 5,000 found in Steuben County.

It also laid out the charges against him - which include second-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal mischief.

The latter is a misdemeanor, warranting a maximum sentence of up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

The assault charge, however, is much more severe, and could see the author who just last month pleaded with members of the public who survived the unpopular war to come see him spend the next several years in prison.

Speaking to the Elmira Star-Gazette in October, Yott explained his quest he said had already seen him converse with 85 Vietnam veterans.

'I want people to be aware of what we wanted those guys to go through,' he told the paper for a piece published on October 10.

'I'm not going to turn anyone away. 

'People don't realize the effect that war had,' he continued, revealing how 72 stories surrounding service members killed in action was about half-finished.  

'Many of the guys I talked to, they wanted to share,' he explained. 

'If we don't get their stories, we're going to lose them.'

The Star-Gazette reported that the purpose of the project, in Yott's words, was to give a voice those who served in an 'unpopular war but rewarded with no honor.'

Yott added how he pans to use the proceeds obtained from the book to build benches dedicated to those who served in the conflict throughout the community.

He said he plans to finish the tome sometime in 2025. If released, it would be the fourth book in the registered Democrat's oeuvre. 

It would also be the fourth surrounding some form of military history, with others including 2016's 'Soldier's Fight, Veteran's Vote', and The New York State Soldiers Home.

The latter contains stories from New York state residents who served in the military. The former, however, surrounds a conspiracy that 'political leaders manipulated events [that] led up to the Civil War, the war itself and the Reconstruction era which followed.

'It is not by accident that the reader will notice similarities between political events of 150 years ago and today,' a synopsis seen online states.

'And just like today, by capitalizing on the patriotism of the American people elected officials of yesteryear had fought to keep the country divided in order to ensure party preservation and push through their own agenda.'

The book also discussed how government officials at the time supposedly 'capitalized on the patriotism of soldiers, veterans, and the American public to keep the country divided.' and 'used the Divide and Rule tactic to ensure their own political existence.

A reader review published on Sunday slams Yott's understanding of history as 'Questionable... at best,' and a 'deliberate misrepresentation of history at worst.'

'The author truly believes their conclusions of historical events and parallels they see, which is irresponsible,' it continues, awarding one star.

'There is a reason they self published this.'

Another slams the 240-page work as 'inaccurate drivel', and questions whether it was the work of AI. 'Do better,' the reader concluded - also granting one star.

As for Yott, he was in a cell at The Steuben County Jail over the weekend, waiting on his arraignment.

Cops confirmed he was being kept without bail, though it remains unclear as of Monday if he's since been released.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the The Steuben County Jail for an update.

When contacted Morning, The Bath Police Department could not immediately provide an update.

DailyMail.com has also sent an email to Yott, who did not immediately respond to the request for comment.

The incident is not the first time someone has been assaulted for imagery associated with the former president, With assaults happening in Massachusetts and New Jersey in June and April, respectively.

It remains unclear how many times Yott punched the victim, who police have yet to identify as their probe continues.

DailyMail.com has requested a copy of the incident report. When contacted, staff from the Tops where the incident took place refused to comment. 

DailyMail.com has requested a copy of the incident report. When contacted, staff from the Tops where the incident occurred refused to comment.

A 2012 petition filed by Yott showed that he was fired from an unspecified post within the Department of Veteran Affairs in 2007. It remains unclear why.