A teenager beat a 64-year-old man Thursday afternoon in northeast Salem, leaving the victim with critical injuries, police announced in a news release.
Witnesses called Salem police around 4:30 p.m. after reporting a young man punching and kicking the victim, who was walking along Northeast Sunnyview Road near Northeast Lancaster Drive.
The suspect tried to leave but was stopped by witnesses, the Salem Police Department said in the Friday afternoon news release. Police arrested a 17-year-old boy, who is being lodged at the Marion County Juvenile Department on a second-degree assault charge.
The victim was taken to Salem Hospital with life-threatening injuries, than transferred to a Portland-area hospital for further care. Police did not release the victim’s name, pending notification of family.
The news release did not otherwise specify what prompted the attack. Angela Hendrick, Salem police spokeswoman, declined to answer a question about whether the victim and suspect knew one another, saying the criminal investigation is open.
Juvenile court records are generally confidential under state law, and Salem police do not release the names of minors involved in criminal investigations.
Police said no further information would be released.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
