An Irvine family has been left shaken after an elderly family member was randomly attacked in broad daylight. Hetty Chang reports for the NBC4 News at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024.
An Orange County family was left feeling weary after an elderly relative was randomly attacked in broad daylight just outside their Irvine home.
Surveillance footage captured the brazen, unprovoked assault that took place Oct. 1 near Jamboree and Portola Parkway. The video shows the 71-year-old suddenly approached by a younger male and then knocked down into the street. Following the fall, the assailant then takes off and leaves the victim on the ground.
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. 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.”
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The victim was in his driveway about to leave for work when the random assault happened.
“He has scrapes, scratches. His knee is very raw skin; it’s bandaged up,” Julie said.
The family filed a police report. So far, no arrests have been made in connection with the attack.
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“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.
