A Vancouver senior who was attacked with a sledgehammer said on Thursday he won’t be victimized again.
“I hope I see him (assailant),” said Leo, 72, a Point Grey resident who did not want his last name used. “Then I go after him.”
At around 3 p.m. on Wednesday, as Leo returned from lunch in the Downtown Eastside, he was struck with a 1.4-kilogram sledgehammer six to seven times — cracking his skull. The brutal attack only stopped when the senior managed to grab the weapon and a nearby woman screamed.
The wound required seven staples to close.
Leo’s son, Stephen, who also didn’t want his last name used for fear of retaliation, said that if the victim had been a more frail senior — and not his feisty father — the situation could have been much worse.
“He is a very strong man and very confident. He can always look after himself,” Stephen said.
Vancouver police Const. Jana McGuinness said officers arrested a 46-year-old suspect hours after the attack.
She added that this was a crime of opportunity. Leo, as a senior, may have seemed like an easy target.
Sgt. Mark Steinkampf said beat officers worked hard to track down the alleged assailant.
“We pull out all stops to solve crimes that involve elders,” he said.
“We find that when they are victimized, they are injured more because they’re older and their bones are broken easier. And their injuries are more significant and take longer for them to heal.”
Danny Jordan is facing assault and robbery charges.
