Washington man punches and breaks 72-year-old veteran's jaw for asking why his girlfriend wasn't wearing mask
KENT, WASHINGTON: A man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a disabled war veteran after the victim reportedly commented on his girlfriend not wearing a face mask amid the coronavirus pandemic. Cody P. Hansen was taken into custody on Saturday, August 8, in Spokane, Washington for suspected attack on an unnamed 72-year-old man on July 18, leaving the elderly man unconscious.
CCTV footage from the Red Lion Inn and Suites in Kent showed the attack allegedly carried out by Hansen. In the surveillance video, the victim is seen sitting down on a chair in the hotel’s lobby with his walking stick by his side when the accused approaches him and starts punching him repeatedly on the face before leaving the premises.
You can watch the video here.
The old man, who reportedly made a remark about Hansen's girlfriend not wearing a face covering, was left unconscious and suffered a broken jaw and a cornea abrasion. Following the alleged incident, a warrant was issued by local police against Hansen. After his arrest, he was charged with assault 2nd Degree - substantial bodily harm. Spokane Police said that he is waiting to be shifted to King County. His bond has been set at $10,000.
Meanwhile, other reports claimed that Alaskan authorities are looking for Hansen on drug charges and probation violation. His criminal records have shown that he has nine arrests, dating back to 2006. Most recently he was arrested in 2018.
Last month, a San Franciso bus driver was allegedly beaten after he asked three passengers to wear face masks. The incident reportedly happened last on July 22. Robert Rueca, San Francisco Police Department Officer, said in a statement on Friday, July 24, that three men boarded the bus operated by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency or Muni without covering their faces.
The unnamed driver advised the men several times to use face coverings, but they refused to comply, so the victim stopped the bus to escort them off. “As the victim was escorting the males off the bus one of the males pulled out a wooden bat and struck the victim several times, which caused the victim to be injured. The suspects fled the scene on foot in an unknown direction,” Rueca said. Muni employees and a representative with Transport Workers Union Local 250A said the driver was spat on after being verbally assaulted and was struck with a miniature souvenir baseball bat. They also claimed that the victim suffered a fractured finger after the attack and was recovering at home.
While in another incident, a French bus driver was declared brain dead after being attacked by passengers over an argument over face masks. The suspects were reportedly not covering their faces and did not have tickets as they tried to board a bus in Bayonne on July 5. However, when the driver attempted to stop the suspects boarding the bus, they repeatedly punched him, leading to serious head injury. One accused of the case was arrested by local police on July 6. A police source in Bayonne said other suspects remain at large.