WWII veteran, 92, is pistol-whipped while being robbed in his home
A 92-year-old World War II veteran who was pistol-whipped as thieves ransacked his home said afterward that he feels “the country is going to hell.”
Josef Martin awoke Wednesday morning in his east-central Fresno home with a gun barrel in his mouth as thieves combed through his home. A short while later, one of the thieves got him out of bed and used the butt of a handgun to strike him in the face.
He was then thrown in the bedroom closet, the Fresno Bee reported.
Martin is nearly deaf, blind in one eye and uses a walker to get around.
The thieves took $200 that was hidden under a rug and jewelry from his home in the 5000 block of East Lewis Avenue, the Bee reported.
Martin said he was not scared during the ordeal, but afterward he told the paper, “I feel that the country is going to hell.”
He said he was willing to talk about the incident because he wanted “to set an example for older people to watch out.”
ALSO:
UC Davis pepper-spray cop’s payout criticized by attorney
Lodi crash: Boy, 9, in critical condition after parents, siblings die
Anaheim man pleads guilty to selling thousands of fake Kohl’s coupons
Twitter: @aribloomekatz | Facebook
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
