Brutal, unprovoked attack caught on surveillance video left a beloved downtown tailor suffering from severe injuries
The unprovoked attack caught on a surveillance video was shocking: A man was walking along a downtown L.A. street near South Broadway when a stranger jumped up from a bench and shoved him into the path of a truck.
Moments later, the attacker casually picked up a bracelet he’d knocked out of the victim’s hand, then left.
On Sunday, Albert Davtyan, 58, was being treated in a hospital for severe injuries, including broken ribs, collapsed lungs and lacerations, according to friends and relatives who created an online crowd-funding platform to help with his medical and financial hardships.
“He’s gone through several surgeries over the past few days,” said Malik Khan, general manager of Roger Stuart Clothes, which has referred clients to Davtyan’s nearby Albert’s Tailoring business for more than 15 years.
“This was a brutal, tragic attack on a humble, very fine man who is like family to us,” Khan said. “He’s also a highly regarded master tailor specializing in alterations and making custom suits from scratch.”
Davtyan was one of several people authorities said were randomly attacked last week by Garret Boldt, 41, a homeless man in the area.
Boldt was charged Friday with one felony count of premeditated attempted murder, three felony counts of assault by means of force likely to cause great bodily injury and one misdemeanor count of petty theft, according to the criminal complaint filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The charges include an allegation that Boldt personally inflicted great bodily injury.
Prosecutors are recommending that bail be set at $1.09 million. The case remains under investigation.
Boldt is accused of tackling a woman to the ground on the morning of Dec. 4 at West 7th and Hill streets, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said.
The following morning, Boldt was sitting on a bench at West 6th Street and South Broadway when he stood and pushed Davtyan into the street, where he was hit by the oncoming truck, prosecutors said. As Davtyan lay injured in the street, Boldt walked back to pick up the bracelet knocked out of the victim’s hands, according to prosecutors.
Boldt punched a woman later that afternoon at a bus stop at West 1st and South Hill streets, prosecutors said.
Police arrested him a short time later.
“The attacks appear to be random and unprovoked,” prosecutors said in a statement. “Boldt faces a possible maximum sentence of life in prison.”
In the meantime, relatives are trying to raise money for Davtyan, a father of two, who remains in critical condition.
“He was minding his own business when he was pushed onto the street and under a truck,” a statement attached to the fund web page says. “He is in a critical condition in the ICU with multiple broken bones, collapsed lungs and open wounds. He has needed multiple blood transfusions and went through an intensive surgery.”
In an interview Sunday, Davtyan’s son Zorick added, “My father is in lots of pain, and we’re by his side around the clock.”
Twitter: @LouisSahagun
Times staff writer Ben Poston contributed to this story.
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