SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - The search continues for a man who repeatedly stabbed an elderly Vietnam veteran out for a jog in Bay Park over the weekend.
Just before 5:30 a.m. in the morning Saturday, a commotion sounded in a quiet neighborhood.
“Dogs in our area, they were barking loudly. I looked out the window. Didn’t see anything there,” said Adrian Zaragoza.
While some didn't see anything, other neighbors were jolted awake by screams for help.
Police say near the intersection of Littlefield and Frankfort Streets, an 80-year-old Vietnam veteran, out for his morning jog, was confronted by a man in his 30s, and pushed to the ground, before being stabbed in the throat, neck and wrist.
The attacker, carrying a skateboard, then took off.
The victim ran several blocks to his home, where he called 911.
Video of him in the ambulance shows him alert and talking. Neighbors were left stunned by the early morning violence.
“A stabbing. It’s crazy, crazy,” said Zaragoza.
Remarkably, the victim appears to have escaped major injury, as he's been released from the hospital.
I met with the victim, and noticed stitches in his face, head and ear. He declined an interview but did say he was ‘feeling a lot better’ and was about to head out for a walk.
“I see him all the time. I walk my dog. I see him with his dog … Great person, very shocked,” said Tony Ceron.
Neighbors like Ceron, still grappling with what happened, are now feeling some relief with their neighbor's recovery.
“That’s awesome. The fact that he’s out and about again, thank goodness. It could have been a lot worse,” said Ceron.
Police believe the attacker is Latino, 5’9” with a clean shaven face and long black hair. He was wearing a dark jacket and dark pants, and carrying a skateboard.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
