Berkeley Police looking for suspects accused of beating 72-year-old man

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Berkeley Police need the public's help identifying a group of men who attacked a 72-year-old man. It happened at 3:30 a.m. on July 6th right across the street from the police department, on the northwest corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Addison Street. What police found unusual was the attack had no apparent motive. Nothing was stolen from the victim.

Security cameras captured the disturbing incident. The man is seen being knocked to the ground, then kicked repeatedly. Berkeley Police say the victim was just walking home.

"No money was taken. There were no demands made," said Officer Byron White of the Berkeley Police Department.

Detectives are hoping that releasing the videos will help trigger leads. They describe the group as six to eight African-American men in their late teens or early twenties. They were last seen driving away in a newer model silver or white minivan, possibly a Nissan Quest.

"The lighting isn't ideal, so we're hoping that someone will recognize a piece of clothing or perhaps the way the suspects walk," said White.

The victim was seriously injured. He was sent to the hospital where he was treated for broken bones.

Chloe Guo is the new owner of the restaurant that supplied one of the video clips to Berkeley PD.

"That's terrible. I can't imagine why they do it. 72 years old. It's like an old man. How you can do that like that?" said Guo.

In addition to what appears to be an unprovoked attack, Berkeley residents are surprised that it happened so close to the police department.

"Seems like it could happen I guess anywhere but you would think closer to the police department you'd be safer," said Hughes.

While no officers were around during the attack, two of the three videos released by Berkeley PD were taken from the department's security cameras.