SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Surveillance video shows a 61-year-old Encanto man being beaten in front of his own home after he confronted two "car creepers" in his driveway.
Just before 11 p.m. on Friday, along Cervantes Avenue, two figures in hoodies are seen walking into the driveway of the home owned by Luis Nunez, who is home alone watching TV.
After scoping out one truck, they turn their attention to the other one, apparently checking to see if the toolbox is unlocked. It isn’t.
Around that time, Nunez would get a phone alert that someone was in his driveway.
“I get mad, because two times before,” said Nunez.
Twice in the past year, Nunez, a handyman, has had tools stolen from his trucks — totaling more than $8,000 in losses. When he saw what was happening in his driveway, he reacted quickly.
“Maybe I scare them and they run,” said Nunez.
Nunez scrambled out of his home and confronted one of the men with questions.
“I tell them, ‘What are you doing? What do you want?’" said Nunez.
The only response was a flurry of punches.
The stunned Nunez says he tried to fight back, but when the second man joined in, Nunez just tried to protect himself. Decades ago in his youth, when he volunteered in the Mexican Red Cross, he had undergone training on how to protect himself if he was assaulted.
“Just covered my head and face. Get into fetal position on the floor, so they can't beat me,” said Nunez.
Once Nunez was on the ground, the two men kicked Nunez over and over.
He says when his dog started barking in the home, the men finally took off.
Nunez was taken to a hospital. Days later, he still has pain in his lower stomach and head, but remarkably, he didn't suffer any serious injuries.
His son, Jesus, says he’s grateful and hopeful that the attackers can be tracked down.
“Have them caught now rather than doing worse things. Next time, they could be armed, and it could be way worse,” he said.
Nunez says he now regrets confronting the men. He describes them as in their 20s, between 5’5” and 5’8” and about 170 pounds.
