SAN DIEGO — A reward up to $1,000 has been offered for information leading to an arrest in connection to a gas station attack last month that left a man seriously injured.
The incident happened on March 23 at approximately 11:23 p.m. at the United Gas Station located 235 South 47th Street in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, according to the San Diego Police Department.
The victim, a 52-year-old man, reportedly noticed a man who appeared to be unconscious and lying on the floor, SDPD Officer Mark Herring said in a news release. The victim and another man who witnessed the attack were trying to help the man on the floor, asking if they should call paramedics.
For reasons unknown, the man on the floor stood up, grabbed the victim and began punching him in the head, Herring said.
Surveillance video of the incident shows the suspect knock the victim to the ground while continuing to punch and kick him on the floor.
The suspect and the witness then left the store together. Investigators believe the suspect and the witness know each other, Herring added.
The victim was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of his injuries, which included a fractured orbital bone, facial fractures a broken forearm and a concussion.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the victim.
Lincoln Park resident, James Bradley lives within earshot of the gas station and heard for himself an alarming shout that night.
“I heard someone vaguely begging for someone to stop,” Bradley explained to FOX 5. “It’s right next to a school, you definitely wouldn’t expect something like this,” shared Bradley.
Alyssa Ramos happens to work at Porter Elementary School located right down the road and has lived in the area since the first grade.
“I don’t assume the bad in people. This attack is concerning, it happened near a school that I work at. But at the same time, I can’t assume these things are going to happen because I don’t know about it,” Ramos said.
For Ramos, while the news comes at a shock, it also sheds light to a greater issue in her hometown.
“If we’re not talking about it, that’s the big problem. If we’re not talking about it, why aren’t we talking about it, why are we not being informed that it did happen? This is something that we need to call attention to. If this is going to continue happening, why are we hearing about it months later?” Ramos said.
The circumstances that led to the attack are still under investigation and anyone with information regarding the identity or the location of the suspect was asked to call SDPD’s Southeastern Division at 619-527-3536 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
FOX 5’s Sarah Alegre contributed to this report.
