HAZELTON, B.C. - The wife of a disabled man beaten on a road in northwestern British Columbia says her husband told his attackers that he couldn't fight back.
Tanya Gray said her husband, Chuck, was walking home from a pub in Hazelton on Saturday when he was swarmed by at least four young men.
She said they wanted money, but the 39-year-old wasn't carrying cash, so they attacked him.
“They all took turns punching and name calling,” Gray said.
Chuck had a stroke in August that left him paralyzed on his right side, she added, and he told the attackers that he wasn't able to fight.
Gray said she found her husband at home on Sunday morning, covered in blood, welts and bruises.
“I didn't know if he was going to wake. I was scared,” she said, her voice choked with emotion.
A visit to the hospital determined he had a broken wrist, too.
Investigators believe the attack was unprovoked, said RCMP Staff Sgt. Steve Vince.
An investigation is underway and several suspects have been identified, he said.
Gray said her husband had been making progress in recovering from his stroke before the attack, and had started walking and biking.
Now he's injured and depressed, she said.
“It's really hard for us to watch and see (this happen) to somebody that you love,” she said. “This is another setback for him.”
