OCEAN BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) - A man is recovering from serious injuries after he was seen on camera being brutally attacked by a group of homeless men in San Diego's Ocean Beach neighborhood last Friday night.
A surveillance camera at Hodad's in the 5000 block of Newport Avenue captured what seems to be a casual sidewalk before the incident happened.
"Minding my own business, came walking by Newport Farms Liquor; there's 30 to 40 of these crazy people,” said Woody Boethel."
Boethel says the group of homeless people confronted him, he told them to stop, and he just wanted to go home. It then turned frightening for Boethel and his lab, Bali.
"Then I got kicked in the back of the head, pushed to the ground, and then six young men between the ages 22 to 28, I protected myself pretty well and was able to walk away."
Despite that, Boethel told ABC 10News he was kicked in the face, nearly broke his jaw, and more.
"I had to have surgery on my hand today. My whole body's a mess and I'm just trying to do the best I can."
Boethel says watching the surveillance video is overwhelming.
"It was gut-wrenching because in my mind, after the first kick to the head - and I received about 15 kicks to the head lucky to be alive - immediately became emotional."
When it comes to the homelessness issue, Boethel says he's never seen it get to this point in his 17 years living in Ocean Beach.
"People that live here can't do anything. There's video cameras everywhere. Even though we urge them gently to be nice, they're out of their minds,” Boethel said.
it's an issue that a manager of Hodad's has seen as well.
"I would say there's been a pickup since the pandemic has started,” said Chris Saltzman, Manager at Hodad's Ocean Beach.
"You know, the uptick in violence recently that I've noticed, I'm noticing almost once a week every other week there's a fight breaking out in front of the restaurant or down the street."
And following this brutal beatdown, both Boethel and Saltzman hope something can be done.
"I just hope that people can get the help that they need whether it's mental health or with their general housing. We need to be able provide something that can help these people,” said Saltzman.
"I can't live my life like this. I'm over it and so is all shop owners, all the locals, people that own the restaurants; it's over."
A spokesperson for the San Diego Police Department sent ABC 10News the following statement:
“We understand why this incident is distressing to our community. The video is difficult to watch. The San Diego Police Department will continue to quickly respond to calls for service and work proactively to keep our neighborhoods safe.
This is an active investigation. While the suspects in this attack currently remain at large, our detectives have identified persons of interest and are working to build a case against those involved.”
