A 61-year-old man has been in a coma since Friday evening after he was attacked by an unknown person in the middle of the Lower Bavarian community of Pocking. The 61-year-old, father of an SZ editor, had set out with his wife early in the evening to visit friends in Bad Griesbach, about twelve kilometers away. According to statements from his wife and the police, the couple stopped their car at an intersection and another car had the right of way. Suddenly a man approached on foot from behind and hit the rear window twice.
The couple then parked a few meters away and the 61-year-old and his wife got out to see what was going on. The unknown man then ran directly towards the 61-year-old, said something in broken German and punched him twice in the stomach, completely out of the blue. The victim then collapsed and the unknown man immediately walked away towards the parish center. This is how the victim’s wife describes it.
The attacker followed him to see where he was fleeing. Meanwhile, according to the police’s cell phone analysis and statements from his wife, he called the police. He also took photos of the alleged perpetrator with his cell phone, which are now being evaluated by the police. Then, shortly after 7 p.m., he called his wife again, who had stayed at the car to wait for the police.
Shortly after the 61-year-old’s call, a patrol went to the crime scene and found the man lying lifeless on the street a few hundred meters from his car, covered in blood. Shortly afterwards, the 61-year-old’s wife arrived and police officers were already resuscitating him. There is no trace of the unknown man.
The 61-year-old had taken photos of the person he was looking for. Pictures on the cell phone prove this. What happened next is still unclear, but it must have happened within a period of just a few minutes. An emergency doctor arrived shortly after the police and resuscitated the 61-year-old for 20 minutes, his wife reported. When he was stable, he was taken to the hospital in Rotthalmünster. “He’s been fighting for his life there since Friday evening,” says his son. The 61-year-old suffered serious injuries and is in critical condition.
A few meters away from where he was found bleeding on the street there is a café with a busy terrace. “Witnesses told us that at least three cars drove past my father lying on the street, and later a driver parked his car across the street so that he wouldn’t get run over,” said the victim’s son, who said in brief grew up in a community with 15,000 inhabitants in the Passau district.
There are bars and restaurants all around, and there is a large supermarket diagonally opposite. “We hope that someone can provide more information about the perpetrator and contact us or the police. Maybe someone saw him in the area before or after the crime. Every tip helps.” In consultation with the police, the son contacted the police to reconstruct the events of the crime to the public on Facebook.
The police are searching with the following description of the person according to the man: around 55 years old, slim build, around 1.70 meters tall, three-day beard, southern type. He is said to have been wearing a dark jacket. The victim’s wife describes the stranger as highly aggressive. On Saturday night, the police interviewed possible witnesses around the crime scene, searched the area with sniffer dogs and also secured material from a video camera that was installed in the area. According to the Passau criminal police, the appeal for witnesses is aimed in particular at a driver who was present at the place where the injured person was found on Wolfinger Strasse on Friday, October 6th, 2023 and who asked a passer-by to call the police because she was not carrying a cell phone .