A 70-year-old man stopped a brutal assault against his disabled and elderly roommates in the Antelope Valley on Saturday night by hitting the attacker with the butt of a rifle, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies said.
The alleged assailant, 36-year-old John Tutson, is an acquaintance of the roommates' and was knocked unconscious by Benjamin Monarque, according to deputies.
"I went up there and I just — bam! — hit him," Monarque said.
Tutson allegedly forced his way into the Littlerock home cursing and challenging the residents to fight him, deputies said. When a 55-year-old woman in the home, who was in a wheelchair, told him to leave, Tutson allegedly threw her off her wheelchair by pulling her hair.
After taking off his clothes, Tutson allegedly assaulted the 80-year-old man, Alfonso Mancillas, and placed him in a chokehold.
"He got me in a chokehold and he wouldn't let go," Mancillas said. "And my friend came out with a rifle and he told me I'm gonna shoot you if you don't let go."
Monarque then hit Tutson on the head with the butt of the rifle, knocking him unconscious, according to deputies.
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Deputies said Tutson was an acquaintance of the roommates and had borrowed tools from the home earlier in the day to work on his vehicle. He was treated at a nearby hospital and later arrested, deputies said.
