Expand / Collapse search
☰

70-year-old Florida man sucker punched by stranger at Kissimmee shopping plaza, video shows

By
Updated  December 17, 2022 10:19am EST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 35 Orlando

70-year-old Florida man sucker punched by stranger in parking lot

A Florida man told FOX 35 that he was sucker punched by a stranger at a Kissimmee shopping center

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - A 70-year-old man said he was attacked by a driver, who refused to stop in a crosswalk that he was using.

"When I was hit it was pretty blunt force, I was so surprised." Lee Loupton said about getting punched by a stranger at The Loop shopping center in Kissimmee. 

Loupton said it all started when he was walking along this crosswalk to get to the parking lot.

"Instead of slowing down, he started to speed up. I did stop, and I did yell at him that it’s the law that you’re supposed to stop." Lee said that’s when the man got out of his white truck and walked up to him.

"He makes a statement to me, what did you say to me MF? And so I said, I was yelling at you because you did not stop in the crosswalk and that’s what you’re supposed to do." He was stunned at what happened next. "As soon as he got to me with the force of his fist and the force of his pace, he hit me right in the chest bone. Right here. Of course, he knocked me down immediately a lot of force there.

MORE NEWS: Long-range holiday forecast shows 20s, 30s in Florida during Christmas weekend

We asked, "Do you worry about the safety of others with him out there?" Lee replied, "Certainly I do."

"It’s upsetting. We’re getting to a time in society where people don’t have respect for elderly people."

Sheriff Marcos Lopez said drivers are supposed to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. He’s trying to find out who this man is.

"We’re looking for him. We’re looking at all different avenues. We’re looking through the video to see if we can obtain any footage of the tag."

MORE NEWS: Florida couple gets matched with life-saving kidney donor during Disney World vacation

But Sheriff Lopez also recommends, older people like Lee not confront others, for their own safety.

Lee already suffered from heart issues before this attack, and now he’s in lots of pain. "The biggest part of my injury is in the chest, where he hit it directly in the chest bone." 

If you recognize the man in the video call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS.