3 sought in beating of 80-year-old man

SOUTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — East Point police are looking for three persons of interest in the assault and attempted carjacking of an 80-year-old man outside his home.

The attack occurred Sept. 14 as Creston Portis was backing into his Beech Drive home.

"They pulled up and blocked me in," Portis told Channel 2's Tony Thomas.

Portis said two men jumped out of a black Mercedez Benz SUV and ran up to him. One man had a gun.

"He had like a 45 and he beating on the window and telling me get out of the car, get out of the car and the car was locked," Portis said.

Portis said when he didn't get out of his 2002 Volvo convertible, the second man grabbed a loose landscaping brick and smashed one of the car windows.

Portis says he then noticed there was a woman with the men.

"At one time she said 'come let's go, leave him alone.," he said.

But the men didn't listen. Police said one grabbed the 80-year-old out of the car and hit him in the face with a gun. Portis said he was hit with a brick. Either way, the impact fractured his cheekbone.

Thomas could still see blood splatters on the concrete in the carport from the attack. Portis' face is still black and blue and swollen.

Portis says although the woman at first tried to get the men to leave, she soon turned greedy.

"Then she said get his money, get his money. But I remember saying I don't have any money. Then she said well get his billfold, get his billfold," he said.

East Point Police Lt. Cliff Chandler says detectives do not have suspects at this point in the investigation, but do have surveillance pictures from a convenience store of "persons of interest."

Police believe the two women and a man used one of Portis' financial cards. Investigators say they really want to identify the trio and talk to them about what they know about the incident.

"We have no idea why he was targeted at this time. We believe it was a totally random act," Chandler said.

Thomas showed the pictures to Portis, who said he couldn't be sure if those were any of the people involved in his attack.

"I think they probably don't have any respect for elder peoples or for anyone else besides themselves," Portis said.

As Portis recovers, he still thinks back to that Saturday night and wonders if he should have done anything differently.

"I was just wondering what would have happened if I voluntarily got out of the car like they wanted me to, did they want the car, want me? Or maybe would they come inside the house," Portis said.

Portis said he's asked detectives the same question and they replied every situation is different.

Police ask anyone with information about the case to call Atlanta Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS

WSBTV