The daughter of a 92-year-old man who was beaten and robbed on his own porch in downtown Chilliwack two weeks ago continues to be concerned for the safety of others.
And she wants the culprit caught.
Betty Cockriell has been sharing information on social media about the April 25 incident involving her father and wants to make sure the description out in the public is accurate.
“I’m scared,” she told The Progress. “I think he’s a predator and I don’t think it’s the first time he’s done this and I don’t think it will be the last.”
Cockriell added that the original description provided to the paper was not entirely accurate.
The incident happened in broad daylight at a home in the 46000-block of Yale Road on April 25. It was at about 1:30 p.m. when the 92-year-old man, who is not being named to protect his safety, was approached by a man asking to use a phone.
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The elderly man was on his porch, and he refused the use of the phone. But the male persisted and then suggested he had moose meat for sale.
Then, according to his granddaughter, the man “snapped” and hit her grandfather in the head and knocked him down.
“I think he was out for blood,” she said. “All the shady stuff that I’ve heard of, I’ve never heard of people attacking elderly.”
Cockriell said some of the description passed on to The Progress wasn’t as clear as it could be. Her father said the suspect was First Nations with medium length hair. She said he was short and stockier, and her father said it looked like he lifted weights. He was wearing a brown coat at the time.
Of particular note to the 92-year-old who was robbed was that the suspect was actually well dressed and did not look like a stereotypical mugging suspect.
“The thing that got my dad is that he didn’t look like a street person,” Cockriell explained.
And one somewhat unique identifying feature is that the man apparently had huge, thick hands.
“He had hands like baseball mitts. Very large.”
Cockriell said she is hoping the police can get security video from 7-Eleven down the road. She is told there was an altercation there earlier in the day and from the description, it could be the same guy.
She added that she is scared that the suspect might come back.
“I want to make people aware that this guy came in in broad daylight,” she said. “He didn’t take the first no. He asked my dad to use the phone and he said ‘no’ then he kept working him. He’s subtle. He’s smart.”
Cpl. Rail said asking to use a phone is a common ploy by thieves. He said if someone comes to your door to ask to use the phone, to close the door and call police if you can.
Anyone with information is asked to phone the Chilliwack RCMP at 604-792-4611 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
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