Indiana Teens Punch Elderly Man After He Refused To Pay To Walk Through Park, Goshen Police Ask For Help Identifying Suspects

Goshen, Indiana, police are searching for the identity of a teen that punched an elderly man, on video, because he wouldn’t pay to pass through Rogers Park.

Video has surfaced of an elderly man attempting to walk through Rogers park in Goshen, Indiana, when a group of young men, suspected to be teens, approached him and demanded that he pay them to pass through the park. The elderly man refused to exchange any money and one of the teens punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

The Elkhart Truth reported on the incident after Goshen police shared the video and an image of the suspect. Police Chief Wade Branson stated that the attack was “unacceptable” and he hopes the teens are caught quickly.

“This behavior is a sickening display of cowardice. Bullying and battering a defenseless senior citizen is an appalling and unacceptable act.”

The Goshen police department released a statement about the assault, as reported by WNDU TV.

“Our department was made aware of an incident which recently occurred in one of our parks and we are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect, victim, and the witnesses on the incident. We are unsure of the exact date of the occurrence but several young people, possibly teenagers, confronted an older, senior man in the southwest corner of what appears to be Rogers Park.”

News of the incident infuriated residents, sending pleas for help in identifying the teens involved, hoping to rid the quiet community of the fear the incident coerced.

A press conference was conducted today in an attempt to bring more awareness to the case and hopefully identify the teen in the video.

Surprisingly, the teen in the video arrived during the press conference. With his mother at his side, he felt that he should explain his side of the story.

According to the teen, the elderly man was harassing him and the friends that he was with. The 17-year-old teen claimed that the video was edited and that he was not the one to start the fight. Instead, the elderly man was to blame for the assault. He did not state whether the man threatened to hit first, or if he actually placed his hands on any of the teens, but stood by his claim that he was not the instigator.

The case is currently being reviewed by the Goshen police department and updates will be available as they are released.

[Photo Courtesy: Goshen Police Department]