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A's Pitcher Braden Gets Angry At Stockton Anti-Violence Meeting, Says He's Moving

STOCKTON (CBS13) - The city of Stockton is under fire, and one of its hometown heroes has had enough.

Violent crime in the city is so bad, that one of the city's most prominent residents says he's leaving town.

Dallas Braden was nearly tossed out of a community meeting in Victory Park. Deep in the crowd, sporting a backwards baseball cap and a bat in hand, Braden's pointed shouting match with the police chief nearly had him tossed out of the meeting.

"We'll have you escorted out if you don't wait until the end," said Chief Eric Jones.

But the A's pitcher continued his outrage after the anti-violence rally, making it clear who he is.

"My name is Dallas Braden," he said.

Braden, 29, says he no longer feels safe in Stockton, where the murder rate is on another record-setting pace.

"My anger is for the fear of the community. We can't do anything. We can't do anything," said Braden. "I walked in there with a bat. It starts there!"

Braden says in recent weeks his grandmother was robbed and he was attacked in his car. And, in each case, police effort was lacking, he said.

"I'm out of here because I've been lied to my entire life here, and I hate to see these people get lied to like this," said Braden. "I've already put my home on the market. I'm out."

Braden's grandmother says the family moved to Stockton for baseball, which led to Braden's professional career. It was highlighted with a historic perfect game pitched in 2010.

"I've fought for this community. I've given back to this community. This community raised me to be where I am today, and to be lied to blatantly by the guy whose supposed to be running the shots around here, I can't do anything. I have nobody to go to," Braden said.

Braden has been injured much of the past two seasons and hasn't pitched for the A's this year because of shoulder problems.

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