Rodolfo Rodriguez, 92, was walking through his Los Angeles neighborhood on Wednesday, July 4, when he was attacked by a woman with a brick. Following the assault, he was left bloodied and unable to walk with bruised ribs, a broken cheekbone, a battered face and head injuries.
According to reports, the 92-year-old Rodriguez was taking his daily walk around the block near his Willowbrook home when he was confronted by a woman with a child. The woman confronted Rodriguez for allegedly bumping into the young girl before shoving him to the ground and attacking him with a brick, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials confirmed.
During the attack, the woman reportedly yelled at Rodriguez to “go to back your [his] country.” Erik Mendoza, Rodriguez’ grandson, says that Rodolfo does not speak English and does not know why he was attacked.
via KTLA:
According to Mendoza, the woman in the video pushes him to the floor before grabbing a brick and beating him with it.
“And then when one of the witnesses comes out of her car and starts screaming at her, four other guys come in and start kicking on him,” Mendoza told KTLA.
Misbel Borjas, Rodriguez’s neighbor, said she was the witness involved. Borjas said she also came under attack after she tried helping her friend and claims the mother “tried to hit me with the same rock like hit him.” Rodriguez’s family said they’re grateful he’ll eventually recover from his serious injuries, but they fear someone else may be targeted if those suspects remain on the streets.
“How can you hurt a 92-year-old man? What kind of threat does he pose to you, for you to do this to him?” Mendoza asked. “That’s why we’re still in shock, as you can see he’s badly injured.”
Rodriguez, who was interviewed by investigators, doesn’t remember much about the incident, but he was able to identify his alleged attacker in the video.
Sheriff’s Deputy D’Angelo Robinson said in a statement that authorities are now searching for five suspects: four men and the woman seen in the video.
At the time of this writing, the GoFundMe for Rodriguez has raised over $39,000 — more than double the $15,000 they originally asked for.
Rodriguez’s family says he’s expected to make a full recovery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M08fKI2mhI
