A 77-year-old military veteran in California is recovering from his wounds after he said he was beaten by two people because of his “Make America Great Again” hat.
Red Bluff police have charged Daniel Gomez-Martinez, 26, with battery and elder abuse after a man said he was attacked for his political views outside the post office in Red Bluff on Friday.
The man, who asked not to be identified during an interview with KRCR-TV, said he was wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat in support of President Trump and a Thin Blue Line mask in support of law enforcement when he was attacked by a man and a woman.
“She looked at me and she goes, ‘We just don’t like people like you,'” the victim recalled. “I just kind of got shocked a little bit and I said, ‘Well, that breaks my heart,’ and no more sooner out of my mouth, I get hit on the left side of my head.
“Then somehow he got me in a headlock and started pounding me on top of my head,” he continued. “I got blood all over the place and I’m trying to figure, you know, where’s my hat, where’s my package?”
The victim said he was taken by ambulance to St. Elizabeth Hospital and treated for cuts and scrapes to the top of his head. He said he was still experiencing headaches three days after the altercation.
“I just feel kind of bad,” he said. “Seven years in the military, Vietnam veteran and 30 plus years in law enforcement and you’re always taught situational awareness. And this guy came out of — I never even saw it coming.
“I was so shocked for the hate that people have, you know?” he added. “I don’t hate them. I never met them. I just can’t believe they would do something like that.”
*story by The Washington Times