GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A 77-year-old man is recovering from his injuries after police say he was punched while shopping in Kroger. Days later, police are still searching for the person responsible.
According to a report filed with the Gwinnett County Police Department, on Jan. 23, officers were called to 2700 Braselton Highway - the address of a Kroger grocery store north of Dacula.
There, they met with the victim, who police said had a cut on his nose and blood on his shirt. The victim said he had been trying to park his car when he told people in the fire lane that they couldn't park there.
He then allegedly went about his business, parked his car and went in the store.
"The next thing he remembered was getting hit," the report said, adding that he believed the husband or boyfriend of the other driver was responsible.
A witness told police that he was shopping when he saw a man come up behind the victim, say something to get his attention and then hit him in the face. The witness said that he saw the victim get knocked back to the ground.
The witness described the suspect as being about 6 feet tall and around 215 pounds. He was also described as "black, fairly built well with dreads" in the report.
Police said that video showed the victim walking next to a woman and "it appeared they exchanged words" before the suspect followed the elderly man and hit him.
The video allegedly shows the victim falling to the ground as the suspect leaves "with many people in the store turning their heads to see the commotion."
The witness and employees of the Kroger store were able to get the tag number from the vehicle, which led officers to an address where they interviewed two women.
"Each told me their encounter with [the victim] but neither can provide the identity of the suspect," the report said.
"One of them said she didn't see the attack but confirmed the man in the vehicle was her daughter's boyfriend. Meanwhile, the daughter said she was in the car the entire time and didn't witness the assault.
The report added that she "claimed she only knew her boyfriend for a few months. However, he is the father of her daughter who is about to turn 3 years old."
The women provided little information on the man in question but did confirm that the apparent victim did make comments about them using the fire lane as a parking space.
The investigating officer wrote in his report that without more specifics on the suspect, he was unable to pull warrants for battery.
Police said on Thursday that the investigation is still ongoing and mentioned no arrests in the case. Anyone with information about the attack or the suspect should call Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477 (TIPS).
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