The Penticton veteran who says he was pushed from his mobility scooter and beaten while on his way home from a night at the legion has now reported the assault to police.
In turn, Penticton Mounties are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the people responsible for the attack on Jim DeMarce.
DeMarce was travelling on the sidewalk at 11:50 p.m. Friday, July 26 in the 700 block of Main Street when he encountered four unknown men.
He told Global News one man got up and said they’d move out of his way, so long as he passed over his money and cigarettes. That’s when events took a turn for the worse.
“I said, ‘That’s not going to happen,’ and the next thing I knew I was on the ground. He smoked me. He hit me. Sucker punched me … then all of them jumped in, all of them, and they were kicking and punching, and I took a beating,” DeMarce said.
The suspects, he said, are largely unrecognizable — all men, possibly in their 40s, bearded and seemingly living on the street. He mostly remembers one had a red broom.
When the attack was done, DeMarce managed to get up and go home and to bed. When his daughter saw a trail of blood in the house they shared the next day, she took him to the emergency room. He has a lot of bruises, but no broken bones. Ultimately, he was sent home with some Tylenol and told to rest.
Penticton RCMP are seeking witnesses, CCTV or anyone with dash cameras who was in the area of 700 Main St. on July 26 between 11:30 p.m. and July 27 at 1 a.m., who have not already spoken with police to call 250-492-4300.
DeMarce originally was hesitant to report the crime, saying that he felt there was a catch-and-release system in place and his report would amount to little.
Penticton RCMP said they would also like to remind the public of the importance of reporting these types of matters immediately to ensure that police can better their chances of identifying suspects and preserve evidence.
Anyone with information related to crime is reminded to call the Penticton RCMP or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.