California police have arrested and charged a man after a grandpa was sucker-punched in the face and left in the street while taking his infant grandchild for a walk in a stroller.
Angel Sanchez Jr., 29, of Santa Barbara, is suspected of attacking two victims this past Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Authorities say they received two calls late Tuesday afternoon about separate unprovoked attacks. The attacks occurred in Calabasas, an upscale neighborhood home to numerous celebrities.
The first victim was a teenager.
The shocking incident involving the second victim, a 60-year-old grandpa, was caught on a neighbour’s home security camera.
In the video, the assailant can be seen walking toward the grandfather, who’s pushing a stroller. The victim is then delivered a hard punch to the face, which causes him to fall to the ground, tipping over the stroller as he goes down.
While police did not clarify if any of the victims were injured, and to what extent, the grandfather can be seen getting up after a few seconds of lying in the street, as the attacker climbs back into his van parked across the street.
Although both victims of the assaults were of Asian-American/Pacific Islander descent, police say, the motive for the attacks is currently under investigation.
Sanchez was arrested Wednesday afternoon and booked on suspicion of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury.
Authorities did not released the names of the victims, but Nathan Manyari, the teenager attacked on Tuesday, told NBC Los Angeles that he was on his way to the gym when he was randomly accosted.
“He just came up from behind me and grabbed me,” he said. “He tried to hit the back of my head first and then he tried kneeing my body… I protected myself pretty good. I hit him in the stomach but it wasn’t really that effective. He kept grabbing my shirt, he threw me. He kind of tossed me into bushes, I rolled down a little hill. He just walked off, didn’t say anything.”
Manyari said he suffered some scratches and bruising as a result of the attack, but was otherwise alright.