An elderly U.S. Army veteran was brutally punched in the face what is apparently either a road rage or parking lot rage incident in the San Diego area.
Ron Tornocello, 76, pulled into the parking lot of a El Cajon, Calif., CVS, as he was talking to his wife on his cell phone.
Another man approached Tornocello’s parked SUV, opened the driver’s side door, and screamed at him about being on his phone. According to the victim of the assault, he didn’t cut the man off or do anything else to provoke an attack prior to the confrontation. Tornocello told the enraged intruder to get out of his face, at which point the other man allegedly unleashed the punch, NBC San Diego reported.
See surveillance video of the incident embedded below.
A good Samaritan intervened, fortunately, and prevented the suspect from doing any more physical harm. As police arrived, the suspect in the attack — who is still at large — brazenly pretended to be a bystander and then drove away in his own SUV. The suspect, described as about 35 and standing 6 feet, was wearing a ball cap with the letters “UFC” on the front. There is a $2,500 reward for information leading to his arrest.
The incident occurred on April 30, but authorities recently released the video in hopes of identifying the suspect.
So far, the victim has undergone two facial reconstructive surgeries and may need further medical treatment as he is in constant pain.
As The Inquisitr has previously reported, sadly there have been a number of acts of violence perpetrated against senior citizens who have served in the armed forces.
Last August, WWII hero Delbert “Shorty” Belton was allegedly beaten to death in Spokane, Wash., by two teens, who have been charged with first-degree murder. In October 2013, four teens allegedly mugged WWII vet Lawrence “Shine” Thornton in his own Greenville, Miss., driveway. He died two days later in a local hospital.
