Press "Enter" to skip to content

Suspect in La Jolla Hammer Attack Charged with Attempted Murder, Kidnapping


An argument between La Jolla neighbors turned physical, and ended when one of the men struck the other with a hammer.

The attack happened at around 9:30 a.m. on Mar Avenue off Country Club Drive, according to the San Diego Police Department.

The attacker, identified as 57-year-old Robert Whitaker, was arrested at the scene while the victim, a 49-year-old man, was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Police say Whitaker struck the victim multiple times.

According to court records, Whitaker faces one count of attempted murder in the first degree, and a second count of kidnapping. Police have not confirmed the identity of the victim.

Neighbors were shocked to hear about the attack and couldn’t imagine what led to the confrontation. They said Whitaker has been doing construction on his home, and described the victim as a doctor.

Several SDPD officers responded to the home after the attack. A department helicopter was seen flying overhead also.

“I heard the helicopters out there and it was coming really low and then about 10 minutes later I heard ambulances and my son called me who lives nearby and he said ‘Mom there’s a whole bunch of ambulances going up your hill and there’s police cars,’ so that’s when I came outside,” neighbor Leslie Sayour said.

Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to call SDPD.


Source: NBC San Diego

Be First to Comment

    Comments?

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Call Us