East Bay Man Attacked During Afternoon Walk

Richmond police will be handing out fliers this afternoon and are continuing to ask for the public's help in finding a suspect who severely  beat a 79-year-old man Tuesday afternoon, possibly during a robbery, Richmond  police Sgt. Bisa French said.

"Nobody's really safe until this vicious person is caught," French said. "This was a 79-year-old man just out taking a walk when he was brutally  attacked."

The man was still in critical condition at a local hospital and police are not sure if he will survive his injuries.

The attack happened at about 3:40 p.m. in the 2800 block of Humphrey Avenue as the victim was taking his afternoon walk.
     
"It's one of the most horrible things I've seen in my career,"  French said.

Investigators were able to create a sketch of the suspect based on  information from witnesses. The suspect is described as a white man, 18 to 20 years old, approximately 6 feet tall with a medium build. He was last seen running west on Rheem Avenue from 29th Street.

The Police Department is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the suspect. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Sgt. Lori Curran at (510) 672-1949.
 

Richmond's police chief has scheduled at 2 p.m. news conference to talk about the case.