Nicholas Hostetler, 25, reportedly punched an old man in a random attack earlier this month. He then stopped and posed for a picture.
Police in California arrested a man on Saturday who they say randomly punched two elderly people in separate events and then posed for a casual photo after one of the attacks.
The Campbell Police Department said that Nicholas Hostetler, who is 25 years old, was linked to the two attacks on older men in Campbell this month.
On May 4, Hostetler is said to have punched a person on San Tomas Aquino Road and then run away, according to cops.
But the suspect stopped to pose casually on a path while the victim took a picture to try to identify the person he thought attacked him. The police posted the picture on social media and asked people to help them figure out who the suspect was.
Police say the second attack happened on a 75-year-old man who was out for a walk in Campbell on Friday morning.
The victim says Hostetler hit them in the face near the corner of Inwood Drive and Elam Avenue.
Police say that the 75-year-old man and his family ran into Hostetler again when they went back to the area a short time later to look for security cameras. Police say Hostetler tried to fight the family before he left the area.
Hostetler was arrested on Saturday after cops called his parents and there was no trouble. Police in Campbell started searching the area right away and quickly found Hostetler to be the suspect.
The police called Hostetler’s parents early Saturday morning. With their help, Hostetler left his house and was taken without any problems.
Police say Hostetler kicked an officer while he was being booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on two counts of elder abuse. Hostetler was also charged with assaulting a police officer.
“We cannot thank our community enough for their partnership in incidents like these,” it said. “We can assure you that our officers are working diligently to investigate these incidents to the full extent.”
