SPOKANE, Wash. — An 18-year-old has been arrested after he allegedly beat an elderly man in what police called an .
Spokane man Larry Curtiss, 83, encountered a teen who he initially thought needed help.
Curtiss told police had stopped to put mail in a nearby mailbox when he heard someone yelling. That person he heard yelling, 18-year-old Richard Smith, walked up and punched the Curtiss in the face, according to Spokane police.
The attack knocked Curtiss to the ground, hurting his arm and face.
“They could have killed me,” Curtiss said.
Spokane Police Department detectives identified Smith as the suspect as they investigated the assault.
On May 30, officers found Smith downtown and arrested him without incident. Smith was booked into the Spokane County Jail for second-degree assault.
