A violent incident last month at a longtime local watering hole in Newhall left a man in his 80s in the hospital with his injuries, officials confirmed Monday.
Reports of the incident started to go viral online over the weekend after footage of the alleged assault was shared in an effort to catch the assailant, who has not yet been arrested.
Deputy Robert Jensen, spokesman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, said deputies initially received a report at 1:23 a.m. Feb. 28 of “mutual combat” at Doc’s Inn between two groups that totaled about 10 people, most believed to be in their 20s, and at least one woman.
Jensen confirmed the victim was older and reported to have been knocked unconscious, but also said his exact age was not available.
He was taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital and his condition was stable, per Jensen.
The victim, identified as “John” by those who knew him at the bar, is reportedly out of the hospital.
Manager Chrisha Moore, who said she’s worked off and on at Doc’s Inn for some time, wasn’t in the bar the night of the assault.
However, she said after seeing security footage from the incident, which she shared with The Signal, she couldn’t understand what the provocation could have been for the assault.
The victim is a regular who enjoys a glass of red wine and listening to the bar’s jukebox.
“We really want to find out who did this — we just want justice for our patrons. This kind of thing doesn’t normally happen (at Doc’s),” she said in a phone interview Monday. “And, you know, we’re all upset about it.”
She also said the owner is offering a $1,000 cash reward for information that leads directly to the suspect’s arrest.
The footage shows the group that walked in began to talk and joke with John, at one point even appearing to take a picture with him, based on the footage, she said. Out of nowhere, about 50 seconds into the footage, a member of the group appears to rush John from behind him and throw a punch that lands squarely on the side of John’s head and sends him to the floor.
Jensen said station detectives are treating the incident as an assault versus a mutual combat incident, due to some of the circumstances surrounding the fight, including the age discrepancy between the victim and the suspect. He also said the “disturbing party” was kicked out of the bar and fled the scene before deputies arrived.
One witness indicated they left in a white Toyota sedan, Moore said.
“Detectives have an open case on it right now, with leads,” Jensen said, adding while he doesn’t have any new suspect information to release publicly since the incident last month, he does expect there to be more developments announced shortly.
He said no one has been arrested in connection with the incident as of Monday.
Saadullah Sheikh, a representative from the Fire Department’s media line, reported that someone called 911 about five minutes after the fight was reported for a medical response.
Paramedics were on the scene at 1:34 a.m., he added, and one person was taken to the hospital at 1:53 a.m.
Anyone with information can contact the SCV Sheriff’s Station at 661-260-4000. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3Tips” Mobile APP on Google Play or the Apple App Store or by using the website lacrimestoppers.org.
