SAN DIEGO — Editor's note: The video above is from Dec. 17, the day of the attack.
Police on Sunday were looking for witnesses to an attack on an elderly Laotian man that took place in the Lincoln Park neighborhood near Porter North Elementary School last month.
Police were investigating the attack as a hate crime and said there may have been witnesses who were going to or from the school for morning drop- offs at the time of the assault.
Sometime between 9:07 a.m. and 9:14 a.m. on Dec. 17, 81-year-old Mark Sanouvong was walking southbound past Porter North Elementary on South 47th Street and Franklin Avenue, according to Lt. Al Ambito of the San Diego Police Department.
Sanouvong was suddenly assaulted by an unknown suspect, causing severe injuries, the lieutenant said.
The assault spilled into the middle of South 47th Street and Ocean View Boulevard, bringing traffic to a halt.
The suspect was described as a man about 40 years old, wearing a light-colored jacket, possibly a tan Dickies brand "Eisenhower" jacket with a front zipper, blue jeans, and carrying a large bag. He was about six-feet tall, average build, with brown hair.
Sanouvong was still being treated for his injuries as of Sunday, police said.
"He had a laceration on his forehead. [The] guy kicked in his ribs pretty good and bloody nose, big, large black eye,” Dennis Lambert, the victim's brother in law, told News 8 following the attack. “He’s beat up pretty bad when I went to see him."
"It upsets me that this is going on in this country about this Asian hate business," he added.
Lambert said Sanouvong was going about his typical morning walk when he was approached by the assailant.
"Some fellow came up and asked, ‘are you Chinese or Vietnamese?’ and my brother-in-law said 'leave me alone,'" said Lambert.
That’s when the suspect knocked him down to the ground and beat him up, according to Lambert.
Detectives will conduct another search for witnesses near Porter North Elementary School on Monday.
Anyone with information about the attack was asked to contact the SDPD or Crime Stoppers.
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