Man arrested in shocking attack on grandfather pushing grandson in stroller in posh Calif. city; cops probe racial tie
A suspect has been arrested for the shocking sucker punch of a California man pushing his granddaughter in a stroller — as well as a similar attack on a juvenile, with cops investigating if they were racially motivated.
Angel Sanchez Jr., 29, of Santa Barbara, was arrested in Oxnard at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday for the caught-on-video attack on a 60-year-old man of Asian American/Pacific Islander descent in swanky Calabasas, the LA County Sheriff’s Department said.
He also is suspected in a second attack against a boy of the same heritage that occurred a little earlier, police said of “unprovoked attacks on unsuspecting victims.”
Noting that “both victims of the assaults were of Asian descent,” police said that “the motive for the attacks is currently under investigation.”
Sanchez was charged with assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury.
However, he could face further charges if the two attacks are ruled to be racially motivated, KTLA said.
The attacks occurred about 5 p.m. Tuesday in Calabasas — an upscale neighborhood home to numerous celebrities — when the suspect was driving a 2005 silver Honda Odyssey with Nevada license plates, cops said.
The shocking video captured by a surveillance camera shows the suspect walking up to the grandfather and punching him in the face, knocking him to the ground and overturning the stroller.
The victim is seen gripping the stroller’s handlebars as his body sways from the impact.
The assailant jumps in his vehicle and speeds off while the man and his grandchild flail on the ground.
Neighbor Mary Steele said the victim is a “very nice community member” who has a “beautiful home.”
“People know who he is and the baby is an innocent victim,” she told KTLA.
The victims reportedly did not suffer serious injuries.
