Retired Pastor Brutally Beaten, Handcuffed in Home Invasion

Holt was left bruised, bloody and handcuffed, but managed to crawl to a neighbor’s home for help, his family said

A 73-year-old retired pastor was handcuffed and brutally beaten in a violent home invasion at his apartment on Chicago’s Far South Side over the weekend.

Lezel Holt’s family said Holt answered his door around 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the 12100 block of South Princeton Avenue when someone forced their way into his home. The thief attacked Holt, beating him with the butt of a gun, before stealing his cash and several guns registered to Holt, family members said.

Holt was left bruised, bloody and handcuffed, but managed to crawl to a neighbor’s home for help.

"He is old and defenseless," said Holt's grandson Lezel Holt Jr. "When they beat him, they did it for no reason."

Holt was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Family members say he will need reconstructive surgery and could lose his vision.

“His left eye cannot open, underneath the bone is shattered,” Holt Jr. said. “His nose has multiple fractures. He’s swollen… by the grace of God he is going to be OK. They cannot do surgery until the swelling the goes down.”

Holt’s grandson is worried the thieves will target other elderly residents on his father’s block.

"He's lived here 15 to 17 years and nothing like this ever has happened," he said. "Everyone knows him."

"He just got over cancer not too long ago," said neighbor Larry Jackson. "To see this is really sad."

Police said no one is in custody for the robbery and there were no suspects as of Monday. Area South Detectives said an investigation is ongoing.

“No one with a heart would do this,” Holt Jr. said.

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