Dad Accused in 83-Year-Old's Beatdown Has History of Violence

The South Florida man accused of helping his young son administer a pre-Thanksgiving beatdown to an 83-year-old man in a Delray Beach Target parking lot last week has a history of losing his temper.

Barry Hochstadt, 53, was given probation and ordered to attend anger management classes after a 2007 incident in which he allegedly socked a woman in the face and beat her boyfriend with a bowling pin after the woman hat gotten into a fender-bender involving his son's car, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

The 43-year-old woman had confronted Hochstadt when she allegedly caught him letting the air out of her tires and smashing the windshield of her car.

Hochstadt pleaded no contests to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, battery and criminal mischief charges in February 2009, and was given six months probation and ordered to anger management for 13 weeks.

Whether he completed the anger management courses is unknown, but it looks like Hochstadt may not have learned much.

Hochstadt and 12-year-old son Aaron were arrested on Thanksgiving on felony charges including battery on the elderly for the Nov. 21 incident outside the Target at 1200 W. Linton Blvd. in which they allegedly punched and kicked 83-year-old Lawrence Blank as they were leaving the store.

The father and son duo were backing out of their parking spot when they allegedly nearly hit Blank, who was unloading bags into his car trunk, according to a police report.

"Why did you almost crush me into my car?" Blank reportedly asked Hochstadt, to which Hochstadt replied, "Fu-- you!"

When Blank asked Hochstadt to move his car so he could leave, Hochstadt replied, "Make me!"

When Blank told Hochstadt to "Move your damn vehicle," Aaron Hochstadt hopped out of the car and confronted the man, according to the police report.

"Open your mouth again to my father and I will beat the sh-- out of you," the 12-year-old allegedly threatened. Blank told the youngster to go back to the car "because he was too young to be getting into an altercation," the report states.

That's when Aaron Hochstadt allegedly pushed Blank against his car and onto the ground, and then stood over him, punching him in the jaw. Barry Hochstadt then got out of his car and kicked Blank in the groin, according to the report.

The Hochstadts left the scene, but were tracked down a few days later and arrested. Barry Hochstadt claimed he was just trying to break up the fight, but police say he easily could have gotten his son off the elderly man and chose not to.

"The father claimed he tried to break up the fight, but that wasn't the case at all," Delray Beach police Officer Paul Pitti told the Sun-Sentinel.

Blank was left with several injuries, including bruising and back pain.

Leave Comments