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Aroche Paz is said to be one of at least 10 men who have been targeted in random attacks in Waltham in recent weeks.
On Tuesday, city officials said they were offering a reward of $ 5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the attacks, which began on November 10, the head of the city said on Tuesday. Waltham Police, Keith MacPherson.
Aroche Paz said he lost his balance as a result of the blow, but did not fall to the ground. But before he had a chance to react or defend himself, the stranger hit him again – this time on the back of the head, he said.
“I was bleeding,” said Aroche Paz, who then managed to move around the middle of the street. It was raining. He tried to wipe the blood from his face to see where his attacker was. But he had already run away. “I don’t know where he went,” he said.
He looked down at his phone, which was covered in blood, and walked over to a gas station on Prospect Street. He called 911. When he got to the gas station, he used a towel to clean some of the blood from his face. He then told the police about his ordeal.
Aroche Paz said he was released from the hospital around 5 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
“My nose broke. Part of my head is cracked, ”he says. “But my brain is fine.”
Chief MacPherson announced the award on Tuesday asking the public to help him catch anyone behind the attacks at a late morning press conference.
“We once again urge residents to be aware of their surroundings, especially when they go out after dark,” he told reporters. “Anyone observing suspicious activity or having information regarding these assaults is urged to call the Waltham Police Department without delay.”
Authorities said Monday that 11 attacks had taken place in the city in recent weeks, starting in the area of the Gardencrest complex on November 10 and continuing elsewhere. Police officials said on Tuesday that 10 attacks had been confirmed and the 11 had recently been called to police anonymously. However, investigators were unable to confirm the 11th attack as the alleged victim did not come forward to offer more information.
At Tuesday’s briefing, officials said the 10 confirmed victims were all men of various races and ages, with the youngest being 20 and the oldest in their mid to late forties.
MacPherson said police believed the attacker was using some sort of weapon to inflict blunt trauma on the victims. “These are pretty serious injuries, including orbital fractures of the face, a broken nose, lacerations in the face, pretty big injuries… so we don’t think it could be just someone’s fist.
According to MacPherson, the first incident was on November 10 and the most recent attack was on November 27.
Descriptions of the suspect have been difficult to come by because the attacker sneaks up on his victims from behind and has his face covered by a mask or hoodie, he said.
“The motive is somewhat in question, but it seems to be a thrill of the assault, or someone who is very violent and likes to see someone hurt by it,” MacPherson said. “There’s never been a theft – it’s always been just an assault and the assailant takes off.
Police said the first assaults took place at the Gardencrest apartment complex and the most recent attacks took place downtown in the Chestnut Street and Charles Street area.
“The person or persons responsible for these crimes appear to be on the prowl of the victims, intentionally selecting victims who are distracted or unaware of the perpetrator’s presence,” MacPherson said. the victim from behind. Due to the nature of these assaults, the description of the suspect was very limited. “
The general description provided by several victims was of a black man five to five feet tall wearing a mask or hoodie tightly tied around his face, he said.
MacPherson said police have stepped up their patrols and are using drones to continue their investigation. He said “all available resources” are being used in an effort to apprehend the responsible.
“Using state and local resources, we have significantly increased our presence of downtown patrols, in uniform and plain clothes, in vehicles and on foot,” the chief said. “Additionally, we have deployed several drone units to provide improved coverage of the affected areas.”
MacPherson said the drones provide improved surveillance and can cover a larger area and, if assaulted, could potentially follow the suspect so that police can track the person.
Detective Sergeant Steve McCarthy told reporters that Waltham Police contacted the Boston Police Department and spoke with the gang unit to see if they saw similar incidents happening in Boston.
“We contacted the Boston Police Department and spoke to the gang unit and asked them if they had seen anything in the past that looks like what’s going on in Waltham, regarding gang initiations. … and at this point, they haven’t ‘I’ve seen nothing like this,’ McCarthy said.
“There is definitely a fear factor in our city right now,” McCarthy added. “We have never experienced anything like this.”
Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy urged residents not to walk alone and to walk only in well-lit areas.
“Try to use the buddy system as much as possible,” she says.
Her constituents, she added, remain nervous.
“You just worry about everyone,” she said. “It could be your children, it could be your brother, could be a family member. These people are ordinary people, they just walk, and they are injured, very seriously injured.
McCarthy appealed to the public to help the investigation.
“We need the public’s help,” she said. “And that’s what I’m here for. You know, you know, who does that, someone does. Please call the police. Please.”
The haphazard and unprovoked nature of the attacks on victims who were severely injured and not stolen suggests a number of possibilities, said James Alan Fox, professor of criminology, law and public policy at Northeastern University.
The attacker could be motivated by the “thrill” of hurting his victims and avoiding apprehension, he said.
“It makes them feel powerful, dominant,” Fox said. “They appreciate the experience, beat people and get away with it.”
Such attacks are difficult for people to understand because there is no obvious motivation, like revenge or money, but the abuser is gratified to feel powerful and invincible, he said.
He said it was similar to incidents across the country where people randomly shot at passing cars, but much more intimate since Walham’s attacks were personal and up close.
It is also possible that the attacker is suffering from mental illness, he said. But these crimes tend to be spontaneous and committed by someone who was not necessarily aware of the risks or the possibility of being identified by witnesses.
Waltham Police said it appeared the attacker was waiting for his victims before some of the assaults.
“Someone who waits is strategic about it,” Fox said. “It would tend to suggest the aspect of thrill as opposed to mental illness.”
Daniel Gray, a property manager with Harbor Group Management Company, which manages Gardencrest, said in a statement Monday that the facility is cooperating with law enforcement.
“We can confirm that five of these attacks occurred at Gardencrest,” Gray wrote via email. “We are fully cooperating with the police in their investigation and supporting them as much as possible. Courtesy agent patrols remain in place and we communicate regularly with our residents, encouraging them to stay safe, stay alert and promptly report any suspicious or unusual activity to the police.
On Tuesday, some residents of Gardencrest remained visibly pissed off.
“So I just saw the mayor here said, ‘Oh, don’t go out after dark,’ and I’m going, COVID is bad enough, ‘said resident Donna Johns, 72. “We’re stuck in the house, we can’t be places we’d like to go. … And now I can’t go out after dark. Will the mayor come and walk my dog with me? So I’m pissed off. I’m mad. I am anxious.”
Another Gardencrest resident, Lori LeDuc-Smith, 50, said she plans to move when her lease ends.
“It was wonderful when we moved here 10 years ago, but… honestly it’s just a downhill,” she said. “It’s like a nail in a coffin that was already practically sealed.” The thought of going out after dark, she said, “with what’s going on I’m scared. My mom is texting me, neighbors across town are texting me, making sure I know and that I’m careful.
Police released surveillance footage on Saturday of a man they said was the suspect. The attacker seems to be on the lookout and taken victims by surprise, according to a recent police statement.
On Tuesday, Aroche Paz, who is 5ft 10in, said her attacker was about the same height and had his face covered.
He said he feared the man who attacked him could strike again and that he hopes police in surrounding communities like Belmont, Newton and Watertown are on alert.
Aroche Paz said he had lived in Waltham for around 20 years and had never experienced anything like it before. The brazen attack, he said, was a shock.
“I was not prepared for this,” he said.
Travis Andersen of The Globe Staff contributed to this report.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney. Shelley Murphy can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @shelleymurph.
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