A man in his 80s is hospitalized and critically injured after a brutal assault in Beltsville, Maryland, that may have stemmed from an argument over damage to a car door, authorities say.
Prince George’s County police are seeking a suspect caught on surveillance footage after the disturbing attack on the senior citizen. Graphic video footage shows the younger man repeatedly punch and stomp the older man as he lies on the ground.
A week later, the victim is still in intensive care, his sister told News4.
“I feel devastated about it. He’s an old man,” she said. “That’s the problem that I have — that he actually stomped an old man in his face.”
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“The brutality of this assault is disturbing,” Maj. Jason Fisher said in a statement released Thursday. “My investigators are committed to identifying and arresting this suspect so he is held accountable for this attack.”
The attack occurred the evening of Thursday, June 2 in a residential parking lot of the Maryland Farms condominiums, in the 11300 block of Cherry Hill Road, police said.
The video clip released by police shows the younger man stride up to the older man. They appear to speak, and then the younger man winds up and punches him. The senior falls to the ground, and the younger man repeatedly punches him and stomps on him. The attack lasts about 30 seconds.
The suspect, a large man, fled the area in a white pickup truck that also was caught on camera.
Officers were notified of the attack at about 7:30 p.m., police said.
The victim suffered critical injuries and was taken to a hospital, where he remained a week later.
An assault investigation is ongoing, but “the preliminary investigation suggests the assault may have stemmed from a dispute over damage to the door of a car parked in the lot,” the statement from police said.
Additional information on what preceded the attack was not immediately released.
Neighbors at the condo complex said they were horrified by the attack.
“He did not deserve that. It is so unfortunate that things like this happen in this community,” one resident said.
“You should have more respect for our elderlies out here,” another resident said. “That’s an innocent man. That’s unacceptable.”
Anyone with information on the crime is asked to contact police. Tips can be made anonymously.
“Please call us,” Fisher, the police major, said.
