A 71-year-old man was brutally attacked in broad daylight in Irvine, a city with a significant Korean-American population.
According to NBC News, the incident occurred on October 1 near Jamboree and Portola Parkway.
Footage from a nearby home’s CCTV shows the elderly man being suddenly assaulted by a younger man, causing him to collapse onto the road. The attacker continued to strike the victim as he lay on the ground, but the elderly man resisted forcefully.
The man’s daughter, Julie, told NBC4 they are still trying to make sense of the attack.
“He looked up and all of a sudden, this young guy was in his face pushing him,” Julie said.
It was reported that she declined to provide her last name out of fear for her and her family’s safety.
“My dad reacted by trying to run away from him and while being hit and running away, he fell really hard. When he fell, this gentleman continued to try to hit him.”
According to NBC4, the family filed a police report. So far, no arrests have been made in connection with the attack.
“My number one goal is prevention so we can identify this person,” Julie said. “So we can give him whatever help he needs to stop this behavior. He could be taking casual jogs while decking people and hurting people while he’s out, and that’s not OK.”
Anyone with information on the case or who recognizes the assailant is asked to contact the Irvine Police Department at 949-724-7000.
BY SUAH JANG, YOUNGNAM KIM [jang.suah@koreadaily.com]
