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GENESEE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WJRT) — Ron Lemmon still bears the scars a day after a vicious attack Tuesday outside the Kroger in Mt. Morris.
Two black eyes and several facial lacerations are only part of what he’s dealing with .
“I’ve got a lot of dizziness, which is the worst part. And of course the swelling,” Lemmon said.
The 63-year-old is OK and resting comfortably at his Genesee Township home. But, he’s still working to understand why he became a target parking his car outside the grocery store.
“As I was getting out a young man in a hoodie approached me and started talking — was talking very rapidly a lot of hand motions,” Lemmon said.
The attack happened a little after 6 a.m. Tuesday. The assailant was younger and very skinny.
“He asked me specifically if I had a cigarette and I said, ‘No I’m sorry I don’t smoke.’ And he said, ‘Well can you loan me some dollars to get it’ — a pack of cigarettes,” Lemmon said. “And I said, ‘Well I’m gonna do you a bigger favor. I’m gonna say no because I want to see you extend your life longer.’ And that just seemed to be the trigger.”
Lemmon’s car still have blood stains where the assailant smashed his head over and over again. He has no idea how long the attack lasted.
“He was just screaming at me the whole time about why can’t you help me old man,” Lemmon said. “I know that I yelled at him a couple of times, hoping somebody would hear. Nobody was in the parking lot at that point to come.”
So eventually, Lemmon said he was able to get back into his car, start it up and drive the two miles home.
His wife posted a photo on Facebook, which has been shared more than 3,000 times. It shows what Lemmon saw in the mirror moments before calling police.
“By the grace of God there’s nothing major broken, just a lot of bruising and cuts and everything else to deal with,” he said.
Lemmon said his faith, family and the outpouring of support on social media are helping him push through.
“I worry more about this young man because obviously he’s got some real problems and real demons that he’s dealing with and I pray that he gets the help that he needs,” he said.
Lemmon is determined to not let this stop him from running errands on his own. But of course, he’d like to see his attacker held accountable.
The Genesee Township Police Department arrested a suspect in the case Wednesday evening. They plan to meet with the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday to pursue charges.
The suspect’s identity was not released because he had not been arraigned.
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