Gardena man who attacked mailman in Harbor Gateway gets more than 3 years in federal prison

A 40-year-old man who attacked a mailman in Harbor Gateway last year over a package was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison Monday, March 3, authorities said.

John Leoman Ross, of Gardena, pleaded guilty in November to one charge of assault on a federal employee resulting in bodily injury, said Ciaran McEvoy, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Ross had been squatting at a Harbor Gateway home near South Hoover Street and West 172nd Street in February 2024. After the mail carrier delivered the mail to the home that day, Ross became upset that a package wasn’t included that he believed should have been delivered.

Ross went out to confront the mail carrier and sucker-punched him in the back of the head when the employee tried to walk away. The attack was captured on surveillance video from a neighborhing home.

The blow caused the mailman to stumble forward and drop dozens of pieces of mail from his bag onto the street, the video showed. The mailman got up and attempted to defend himself, but was punched in the eye and then body-slammed to the ground.

“The defendant here violently attacked a postal employee who was hard at work doing his job,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally said in a statement.

Neighbors told television stations that Ross grew up in the area and had been squatting at an empty house. They also characterized the mailman as an incredibly friendly man who made sure new residents felt welcomed in the neighborhood.

The mailman suffered minor injuries and had returned to work by the time Ross was arrested in early March 2024, said Chris Siouris, a spokesman for the United States Postal Inspection Service.