MILWAUKEE, WI (WSAU) – Last night, outside the Milwaukee Hilton Hotel, several members of Mark Attanasio’s family were physically assaulted, according to law enforcement sources who spoke with Wisconsin Right Now.
The victims have been identified as Robert Attanasio, 70, of New York, New York, and Stacey L. Gonsalves, 59, of Los Angeles, California, according to a Milwaukee police news alert that Wisconsin Right Now was able to get from a source.
Stacey was knocked to the ground after being punched by the suspect, who also repeatedly pushed Robert down onto the cement. Both suffered minor injuries. Although the unnamed suspect was described as “mumbling” before the incident.
The “physical abuse elder person” incident happened at 9:50 p.m. on October 4, 2023. Two witnesses—Lee S. Attanasio, 61, and Jane S. Attanasio, 23— reported the incident to police.
The suspect was described as a black man in his 30s, 6 feet 3 inches tall, weighing 160–170 pounds, with a narrow face and a dark complexion. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, dark jeans, black shoes, and black eyeglasses. At this time, police do not have a motive for the attack, according to Wisconsin Right Now.
The attack comes at a time when fears about violent crime have increased in Milwaukee due to a decline in the number of sworn police officers over time and unsolved court backlogs.
An analysis completed earlier this year from SafeHome.org, which used FBI statistics, places Milwaukee among the top three major cities with the greatest violent crime rate. Milwaukee came in third place among the biggest cities for murder, serious assault, and robbery.
Milwaukee Brewers’ public relations department has been approached by Wisconsin Right Now for comment, but no response has been received as of yet. On Wednesday night, the Brewers were defeated by the Arizona Diamondbacks, ending their season.
