Elderly Hemet motel manager brutally beaten, police say

HEMET, Calif. (KABC) -- A motel manager was viciously attacked by a guest in Hemet, according to police.

Officials said the assault happened at the Coachlight Motel located on West Florida Avenue on Wednesday at about 12:30 p.m.

Hashmukhlal Patel, 68, confronted the guest of a tenet who had brought a dog to the motel. Patel tried to explain the dog wasn't allowed on the premises.

That's when officials said the man, later identified as 21-year-old Trevel Warner, brutally beat Patel.

Patel was rushed to the hospital and transferred to the intensive care unit with a major brain injury.

"He had internal bleeding in his brain," explained Ankur Patel, Hashmukhlal Patel's son. "They had to put a drain in his brain by doing a surgical procedure."

His son said Hashmukhlal Patel has operated the motel for 36 years and is baffled that someone would attack him. He said his father is goodhearted, kind, and known to help those in need.

"This is the first time that something like this has ever happened to him," Ankur Patel said.

Police said Warner was located on Thursday and arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse. His bail was set at $25,000.