A longtime community activist in Hartford is recovering after getting beaten and robbed on his way home from work.
Carl Hardrick, 72, says about five or six young men attacked him on Canterbury Street near Westbourne Parkway around 10:30 Monday night.
"I was crossing here and they snuck up behind me right about here and that's when they hit me, bam," said Hardrick, who was walking home from his job at the Y.M.C.A. at the time.
"I turned around and I got hit again, and then I got hit again, and that's when I staggered over this way, trying to get away and trying to fight," said Hardrick.
He says they repeatedly beat and kicked him, fracturing his jaw in three places.
"They were trying to go in my pockets and then one of the kids said, 'Well, let's shoot him.' I'm trying to get up and I could feel it but I'm dazed and I'm struggling and just trying to see who I can see, can't call anybody, but also trying to survive," said Hardrick.
The suspects stole his prescription glasses, but didn't get anything else, he said. So far, police have made no arrests in the case.
Known as "Brother Carl," Hardrick has often walked the streets of Hartford as a community activist and has been nationally recognized for his work preventing youth and gang violence.
He says he's never feared for his safety.
"Always got the respect, people understood what I did, what I stood for," he said.
The attack is the latest in a string of similar crimes in the area. The suspects are targeting people who are walking alone at night, police said.
"We're asking citizens to be aware and keep their eye out for this group of guys that are operating in this area," said Lt. Brian Foley of the Hartford Police Department.
Hardrick was treated at St. Francis Hospital and was released Tuesday night. He says he may need surgery on his jaw.
As he continues to heal, he sees the crime as another opportunity to spur change.
"Yes, I'm disappointed that kids take that kind of stand but also I have to be conscious of what are we as a community going to do about it?" said Hardrick.
To make sure something good comes of the attack, Hardrick and other community activists plan to gather on the steps of Hartford City Hall Saturday morning to once again call for an end to violence. The rally begins at 11:00 am.