Crime & Safety
Veteran Assaulted Outside His Santa Ana Home, Suspect Sought
An Air Force medic known as "Cowboy" was assaulted after lending a helping hand to a woman he thought was in trouble. Have you seen her?
SANTA ANA, CA — An Air Force veteran suffered an assault outside of his Veterans Village apartment, police say. Santa Ana Police are seeking the woman involved in his assault.
According to police, the victim is a veteran who fell on hard times. People call him "Cowboy," and he is grateful for the chance to live at the apartments that opened in June, Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna tells Patch. He tries to help others in need when he can.
At about 8 p.m. on the night of Oct. 21, Cowboy was on his third story balcony when he heard a woman screaming.
"He went downstairs and found a heavyset woman wearing a pink jacket and tan leggings who said she needed help," Bertagna says. "It was a cold night, and he offered her to come inside the locked doors.
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Then, she asked him for money for a hotel, which he declined. Then, according to Bertagna, he asked her to leave the building. Cowboy helped her exit by holding the door for her, as she had many bags in her possession.
"The victim did not know the suspect and had never seen her before," Bertagna says.
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In the below video, which some may find disturbing, the two appear to have a verbal exchange on the apartment's steps when she spits at him and slaps out at him, as the video shows.
Cowboy retreats inside the building when the video shows her charging toward the door. Video shows him kicks out to deter her from re-entering, and she kicks back.
"Then, the suspect grabbed him by the shirt and punched him several times in the face and head using both fists," Bertagna says.
A third party intervened, breaking up the incident.
The suspect left the scene in an unknown direction.
"The woman is a witness, and we would like to talk to her, too," Bertagna says.
The suspect is a black woman between 20 and 30-years-old, between 5-feet 2-inches and 5-feet 4-inches tall.
She was last seen wearing a hot pink coat and tan leggings.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Cpl. Angel at (714) 245-8404 or DAngel@santa-ana.org
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