Video caught a man being pepper sprayed in an attack in his Fullerton garage over the weekend an hour before a similar incident in Rowland Heights.
The attack occurred around 12:30 p.m. Sunday in the 1000 block of Las Palmas Drive, Fullerton police said.
An older couple had just parked their car in the garage when two men in hooded sweatshirts approached the man as he went to his trunk, referenced something about someone hitting his car, before pepper spraying him in the face, video shared by the victim’s son showed.
The victim, described as being 75 years old, appears to fight back as one of the men says “I’m going to f*** you up.”
As the video continues, two other men described as being part of a landscaping crew chase the suspects off camera after hearing the commotion.
“Those guys are heroes. They came running, didn’t even hesitate and started chasing the guys off,” the son, who did not want to be identified, said.
He called the incident an “ambush” and thinks the suspects were going after his father’s watch.
“It’s really shocking and traumatizing,” the son said.
The victim suffered minor injuries to his eyes during the attack.
Police are investigating whether the couple was followed home, and if the incident is related to a similar one that occurred in Rowland Heights that same day.
The other incident occurred about an hour later in the 2000 block of RavenFall Avenue, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
An 80-year-old man was pepper sprayed and robbed outside his home by a pair of thieves and the incident was also caught on video.
Authorities believe the victim was followed home as he left a nearby 99 Ranch Market.
The suspects demanded the man’s $2,500 watch and got away in a gray, four-door sedan.