French Citizen Savagely Beaten On Miami Beach
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MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) - A beleaguered French citizen is speaking out after he was viciously beaten with brass knuckles during an early morning robbery last weekend on Miami Beach.
"I don't remember feeling pain when I was in the hospital but it is really hurtful," said the victim, who asked that CBS4 call him Peter and did not want to show all of his face because he said he was worried that the attackers had not been caught.
Peter did tell CBS4's Peter D'Oench that he wanted to show his badly bruised right eye.
His left eye is also battered and bruised. He has trouble opening both eyes and there are cuts all over his lips. Peter and his wife, who is also a French citizen, have been consulting with doctors to see if he'll need plastic surgery.
The 30-year-old victim told D'Oench that he was walking home to his apartment at 4:40 a.m. on Sunday near Flamingo Park at 11th Street and Jefferson Court when two men suddenly attacked him. He does not know why they had to use brass knuckles. They stole his wallet that contained five debit and credit cards.
Click here to watch Peter D'Oench's report.
"As I was walking home just like a few steps from home I got jumped and somebody hit me in the head and in the back and they started to punch me," said Peter. "They didn't say anything. One moment I was walking and one moment I was on the floor getting punched."
"I just want the guys to get caught and to let other guys to be more careful when they go home," he said. "If anyone saw anything I just want them to come forward. I'm sure police will do their best to catch those guys and I will be thankful if anyone who saw anything would come forward."
According to a police report, the two suspects fled when a witness arrived and ran to a waiting, four-door, white BMW. The car crashed into two parked cars and a pole two blocks away at 9th Street and Jefferson Court and the three suspects abandoned their vehicle and fled on foot.
That witness told D'Oench that he did not want to be identified but he said "I did what I had to do."
According to a police report, two of the suspects are white and between 20 and 26 years old, between 5'7 and 5'9" tall and between 160 and 175 pounds. There was a limited description of the man in the getaway car.
Miami Beach Police detective Vivian Thayer said there was an ongoing investigation and no new leads to report at this point. Thayer said there was no reason to believe that this attack was anything more than a robbery at this point.
Anyone with information that can help Miami Beach Police should call them or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).