Man beaten outside Milwaukee south side pizza shop; 24-year-old arrested
Man beaten outside Milwaukee south side pizza shop
A sucker punch outside of a pizza shop on Milwaukee's south side Wednesday night landed a man in the hospital. Police said they now have a suspect in custody.
MILWAUKEE - A sucker punch outside of a pizza shop on Milwaukee's south side Wednesday night landed a man in the hospital. Police said they now have a suspect in custody.
Warning: There is a graphic image in this story.
Family identified the victim as 43-year-old Lawrence Rauch, saying he was beaten outside of Beto's Pizza where he often visited. They said he is still shaken up by what happened Wednesday night.
A photo of his injuries was shared by his family because they want the public to see what happened.
"It's just very unfortunate that that happened," said Marty Calderon, a friend of the victim.
That is the reaction heard over and over along 16th Street after the owner of Beto's Pizza shared video showing the suspect running behind Rauch before repeatedly punching and kicking Rauch in the face.
"I saw it when they put it on the Facebook, his eye was all black and blue, his nose, I mean, like his eye was closed. I feel bad," said neighbor, Rebecca Riojas.
Milwaukee police said Rauch was taken to the hospital for treatment.
His family told FOX6 News that he has a broken nose, facial injuries and is at risk of losing his eyesight due to the attack.
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"He's like very gentle. Very nice. He never "disrespected" nobody," Riojas said.
Neighbors like Riojas said they knew Rauch from seeing him sell ice cream on the street.
Milwaukee police said they arrested a 24-year-old man in connection to the attack. Police said it is still unclear what led up to the incident.
For now, the community is keeping its thoughts with Rauch and his recovery.
"I hope he gets justice," Riojas said.
Rauch's family said he is at home recovering. They have set up a GoFundMe to help cover his medical costs.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Lawrence Rauch's family, Marty Calderon, Beto's Pizza owner, Rebecca Riojas and Milwaukee police.