Veteran attacked by a woman who demanded money from him at a veterans’ home Veteran’s Day

An Orange County veteran paid the price when he attempted to address the homeless situation that plagues Southern California, resulting in the former airman being attacked by the person he was trying to help.

Randy McDonald, a 62-year-old who had previously struggled with homelessness himself, attempted to help a homeless woman in distress.

“She was screaming for about 20-30 minutes, and we were pretty much told to call the police,” the Santa Ana veteran said. “But, you know, I was a medic, so I went down there to check on her to try to help her out.”

Concerned that she may be cold, he allowed her into the lobby of his apartment building.

However, the woman eventually began to grow impatient, expecting more than a little time to warm up.

“So I hung up, and I said, “OK, I’ll walk you out,’” he said. “And she asked me if I could help her get a motel room, and I said, ‘Honey, I just got off homelessness, I can’t afford that.’”

Unhappy with his answer, the woman attacked McDonald.

“She started punching me, like that, and she’s a big woman, you know,” he said. “And she just started punching.”

The Santa Ana Police reviewed security footage of the event.

“He was trying to help out of the goodness of his heart,” Sonia Rojo, an officer with the Santa Ana Police Department, told CBS Local. “He’s concerned for her safety and goes out to help her and she just takes advantage of him and starts to hit him several times in the face.”

McDonald was injured in the encounter.

“You do take a chance, anytime,” he said. “If I go into battle, or you’re a medic, you take that chance too.”

The suspect remains at large.

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