77-Year-Old Military Veteran Attacked in California for Wearing MAGA Hat

Red Bluff Police in California have arrested 26-year-old Daniel Gomez-Martinez for battery and elder abuse after a 77-year old military veteran says that he was attacked outside of a post office for wearing a MAGA hat.

The victim, who did not want to be identified, said “I just feel kind of bad, seven years in the military, Vietnam veteran and 30 plus years in law enforcement and you’re always taught situational awareness. And this guy came out of … I never saw it coming.”

The attack happened Friday, September 18 while the veteran was wearing the MAGA hat and a ‘Back the Blue’ mask with a blue line in support of police and he said that he was approached by a man and a woman.

He said the woman looked at him and said “‘We just don’t like people like you.’ Just kind of got shocked a little bit and said, ‘Well, that breaks my heart,’ and no more sooner out of my mouth, I get hit on the left side of my head.”

The veteran continued, “Then somehow he got me in a headlock and started pounding me on top of my head … I got blood all over the place and I’m trying to figure, you know, where’s my hat, where’s my package?”

The victim was taken by ambulance to St. Elizabeth Hospital, where he was treated and released and three days later he said he’s still having headaches. A photo shows cuts and scrapes to the top of his head.

He summed up his feelings about the attack by saying, “I was so shocked for the hate that people have, you know. I don’t hate them. I never met them. I just can’t believe they would do something like that.”