NBC 7 has confirmed that the First Lady of Escondido was attacked Dec. 29 as she was taking trash receptacles out to the curb.
The attack happened outside the home of Mayor Paul McNamara. The mayor’s wife "was assaulted by an unknown suspect while taking her trash to the curb," according to police documents.
Details of the attack were revealed after NBC 7 filed a public records request with the city.
The attack happened sometime between 5 and 7 p.m. but wasn’t reported until the next day when the mayor’s wife, a former doctor from China, went to the emergency room to have the bump on her head checked out.
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NBC 7 wanted to know why the attack wasn’t shared with the public, especially since the person who committed the crime still hasn’t been caught.
The Escondido Police Department said the victim didn't want them to investigate the attack.
"The victim provided limited information and said she did not want officers to investigate the crime," a statement from the police department read in part.
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EPD did look into the alleged attack, however, and canvassed the neighborhood for witnesses and surveillance cameras.
"No witnesses to the assault were located. Video surveillance collected did not capture the crime or any suspicious persons in the area. At this time, there does not appear to be a threat to public safety," EPD said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact EPD Detective Jeff Udvarhelyi at judvarhelyi@escondido.org or (760) 839-4462.
NBC 7 visited Mayor McNamara at Escondido City Hall where he told us he was learning more about the attack from us than from police.
McNamara said he is respecting his wife’s wishes for privacy by not discussing the attack that he says happened while he was at Home Depot buying lightbulbs.
McNamara said it was later in the evening when he noticed his wife had a bump on her forehead and asked what happened. She didn’t have much to say, according to McNamara, except that she didn’t want anyone to make a fuss about it.
McNamara didn’t want to speculate about what might have happened, but said he believed the attack was “random." He said his wife is now doing well and doesn’t seem to have any lasting issues from the incident.
