An 85-year-old woman was hospitalized after a juvenile suspect violently attacked her during a robbery in Lakewood.
On April 30, Lakewood deputies responded to the assault in a residential neighborhood on the 5400 block of Hayter Avenue.
Surveillance video from a nearby home showed the victim, identified only as an 85-year-old woman, walking on the sidewalk in the afternoon.
The young suspect spots the woman and quickly approaches her from behind. He confronts the woman and, after a short struggle, yanks the purse away from her, the momentum violently knocking her to the ground.
The robber runs away, leaving the woman lying on the ground. She was later transported to the hospital with a head injury.
“From what we understand from the [victim’s] daughter, he had brass knuckles, so he socked her before pulling her purse away from her,” said Stephiani Mukai, a neighbor. “He totally surprised her. She had no idea this was going to happen to her at all.”
The suspect was later arrested on May 19. His identity was not released due to his juvenile status. Loved ones said the elderly victim is still recovering from her injuries.
“She spent probably a week in the hospital,” Mukai said. “She has like 16 stitches on the side of her head from what happened.”
The violent assault has nearby residents on alert, with many concerned for their safety.
“We think we feel safe, but with that happening to people in broad daylight, it’s not,” Mukai said.
“It could happen to anybody,” another neighbor said. ”At any age and at any time.”
No further details were released as the incident remains under investigation.
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