Mother, autistic son attacked with blunt object in Fort Lauderdale

A mother and her nonverbal autistic 12-year-old son were attacked with a blunt object Tuesday morning while walking to a bus stop in Fort Lauderdale, and police are still searching for the person who fled. The assault happened in the 1000 block of Northwest Fifth Avenue at about 7:30 a.m., along a daily route that families use to get children to school and caregivers to work.

Fort Lauderdale police said an unknown person struck both victims from behind. Chrissy, the boy’s mother, said the attacker came up behind them in a parking lot near Sunrise Boulevard and Northwest 5th Avenue, yelled, “I told you not to come,” and hit her son with what she described as a stick or mallet. She said she stepped in front of him to protect him and was struck in the head herself.

The boy suffered an abrasion to his face and internal damage to one eye, though doctors expect him to recover his vision. Chrissy had a cut on the back of her head. Both were taken to Broward Health Medical Center and later released with non-life-threatening injuries.

Chrissy said her son is non-verbal and has autism, and she said the family had moved into their apartment less than a week before the attack. She also said no one nearby stepped in during the assault. Police have not publicly identified a suspect, and no arrest had been announced as of Tuesday night. Police described the suspect as wearing a red shirt and blue jeans and fleeing the area before officers arrived.

Chrissy urged anyone with information to contact the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.