Richmond elderly man attacked on 77th birthday by package thief
RICHMOND, Calif. - A Richmond man ended up in the hospital on his 77th birthday after confronting a suspected package thief in his neighborhood.
Roger Helbig returned home from the hospital Thursday and told KTVU he was "more angry at myself for having been stupid enough to have confronted this guy."
The attack occurred about 2 p.m. Wednesday on Lassen Street near McBryde Avenue.
Helbig was walking his 15-year-old dog Mimi and noticed a man apparently casing homes for packages to steal.
"I yelled at him, told him he was a thief. I did it very loudly. I can be heard a football field away if I yell loud enough," he said, laughing.
Witnesses said that after Helbig yelled, the man punched and kneed him.
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Surveillance video shows Helbig on the ground, his dog nearby, as the man assaults him.
"He really could care nothing for anybody's life," Helbig said.
Helbig tried to call the police, but it didn't work "because he stole the phone, and he stole the camera I was carrying."
Helbig returned home dazed, sending his wife of 44 years, Elizabeth Helbig, into a panic.
"I was just overwhelmed. It was just quite a shock to find him, come home and he was confused," she said.
They called 911.
"I was really surprised that I ended up in an ambulance going away, but I'm really glad I did because when they did the CT scan, they found that I had a brain bleed," the man said.
Photos taken at the hospital show Helbig with a bruised face while wearing a wristband that says "Birthday Boy," given to him by a paramedic.
The couple's daughter Patricia Helbig in New Hampshire had just wished him a happy birthday before the attack.
"It was a joyful time and then the next minute, it's like you know, I may not have him," the woman said. "You know, this may be his last birthday. This is how he's celebrating his birthday."
Disheartened, she added, "But him wanting to kill my father because of him saying no, is really the most disheartening thing."
Helbig's message to his attacker: "We're gonna catch ya."
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan