A man is in jail facing felony charges after attacking elderly people on the streets in Bankers Hill on Thursday morning.
Eyewitnesses described a chaotic, violent scene. Ken Hsiueh was on an early morning bike ride when he witnessed the attacks.
“He was menacingly attacking people, unprovoked," Hsiueh said.
Darren Dietz saw the man, later identified by police as 34-year-old Alexander Birgel, make one of his first attacks. The victim was an elderly lady on the sidewalk near Fifth Avenue and Laurel Street.
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“She started screaming, and I started running and screaming myself to try to distract him and get him to look at me," Dietz said. "Then he looked at me and reached over with all his might and hit her in the face, and she fell on the street."
Hsiueh also saw the attack, then followed the attacker on his bike.
“He started attacking me, not even bluffing, full charging. Luckily, I was on my bike, so I was able to avoid him," Hsiueh said.
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However, others were not as fortunate. Birgel ran two blocks away and attacked more people near Sixth Avenue and Juniper Street. Multiple people were injured, including an 84-year-old who suffered a broken hip and a 74-year-old with a broken hand.
Dietz described the injuries he saw on one lady.
“She was older. She landed on the sidewalk, so I am worried about her hip. She got a shiner on her eye," Dietz said.
After being chased by witnesses, Birgel was apprehended by San Diego police. He is facing two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of inflicting bodily harm on another individual, among other charges.
This was not the first time this has happened. Police say Birgel was arrested on Nov. 1 for battering a stranger into unconsciousness. He was out of jail awaiting a felony hearing slated for Monday, according to the San Diego Police Department.
