Man Pepper Sprayed at Little Mulberry Park

A Dacula man was pepper sprayed in the face after attempting to speak with a male who allegedly made sexually suggestive remarks to the victim’s wife while she was walking in .

On the morning of Sunday, July 29, police received two calls related to the incident -- one from the victim and one from the suspect, later identified as Eddie Dwayne Boss, 53, of 3584 Habersham Court in Buford.

An officer met with Boss first to obtain his version of events. Boss said he had encountered the victim’s wife at Little Mulberry Park previously and had what he described as a “mutual conversation” with the woman. Boss said when he saw the woman on the morning of July 29, he stopped to say hello. Boss told police he thought it was strange the woman acted as if she did not know him. Boss later saw the woman pointing in his direction and talking to the victim who is the woman’s husband. According to Boss, the victim -- while riding a bicycle -- chased Boss down as he was driving away in his silver Dodge Ram pickup. Boss said the victim told him not to talk to his wife and that he had Boss’ tag number and was calling the police. Boss claimed the victim, while still sitting on his bicycle, then grabbed the windowsill of his truck. At that point, Boss pepper sprayed the man in the face saying he feared the victim intended to punch him.

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When the officer asked how the victim could have punched Boss while still sitting on his bicycle, Boss changed his story and said the victim got off his bicycle and walked over to the truck to confront him.

“Boss said the man did not move either his arms or hands toward him and did not threaten to hurt him, but he thought the man was going to punch him because of the way he was talking and his body language,” the officer wrote in the arrest report.

Leaving Boss with another officer, the investigating officer then went to the victim’s home. When the officer arrived, the victim was still in the shower trying to wash the pepper spray off his face. The victim later said the burning sensation was so severe, he could not wait for officers at the park and had gone home to shower.

The victim’s wife told police she had first encountered Boss at Little Mulberry Park a week or so prior to the incident. The woman said Boss was riding a bicycle in the park when he stopped and began talking about the park with her. The woman said the conversation started normally, but soon digressed into one of a sexual nature. Due to Boss’ profane language and sexually explicit remarks, the woman said she became frightened and phoned her husband. Boss then quickly rode away on his bicycle.

On the morning of July 29, the woman was walking in the park with a friend when Boss once again approached her on his bicycle. The woman said she pretended not to remember Boss and immediately called her husband, who was also riding a bicycle in the park. On the way out of the park, the woman spotted Boss and pointed him out to her husband.

The victim told police he followed Boss to the parking lot in an attempt to get the tag number of Boss’ vehicle. As the victim reached the upper lot, he heard a noise in the lower lot and realized it was Boss putting his bicycle in the back of a silver Dodge Ram pickup.

The victim took a picture of Boss’ truck as Boss pulled out of the parking space. Boss then allegedly drove to where the victim was sitting astride his bicycle. The victim said he asked Boss if he was the man who had spoken to his wife. When Boss said yes, the victim said he told Boss not to talk to her again and that he had his tag number and intended to call the police. At that point, Boss reportedly pulled out a pepper spray gun, shot the victim in the face and drove out of the park.

During the course of the investigation, officers located another woman at the park who said she had been “verbally raped" by a man matching Boss’ description. The woman said approximately two weeks prior, a man on a bicycle had approached her and started a conversation. The woman said the conversation began normally, but quickly turned sexual. The woman said the man asked if her husband allowed her to have sex with other men and also asked if she would like to have sex in the park. The woman provided a description of the man’s vehicle that matched that of Boss’ vehicle.

When confronted about his conversation with the victim’s wife and the other woman, Boss admitted his conversation with the victim’s wife may have been inappropriate but reportedly denied talking to the other woman.

Based on the statements of the victim and the two women, as well as a lack of physical evidence to support Boss’ claim that the victim was holding onto the windowsill when pepper sprayed, the officer placed Boss under arrest on a single count of battery. Boss was released later that day on a $5,700 bond.

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