Two people were assaulted in Hartford by a group of 20 to 30 teenagers, police said.
Manuel Mari, 75, was attacked as he was walking back to his Mather Street home at around 11:20 pm after a get-together at a relative's home.
He spoke to NBC Connecticut's Catalina Trivino in Spanish about what happened. She translates his story:
“I felt that somebody was behind me and I went like this," Mari said he was attacked from behind. "[That's] when I noticed someone jumped on top of me, and more of them came and they got me and I went to the floor.”
Mari was taken to the hospital. He was left with swollen eyes and cuts along his face and head and a large gash near his hairline after being jumped by the group of people. He said he was able to punch them back, but there were too many people to fight.
Mari's keys and a cellphone were stolen. His keys have since been returned after they were found on the street.
A few blocks away on Garden Street police said a similar incident happened, around the same time of the Mather Street incident.
A second person was attacked by what appears to be the same group.
It was thanks to the public that two people were arrested. Police said they chased a red Volkswagen Jetta, which was reported stolen out of Bloomfield last week. Police found a small amount of marijuana on scene.
Police are also looking for two more suspects that ran from the car.
If you have any information on both incidents, call police.
