Monday, February 26, 2007
Police searching for man who violently attacked his stepson
SUNRISE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Police are actively searching for a man who attacked his stepson while he was asleep and beat him over the head with a tire iron.
The family said that Erik Housman, who is estranged from his wife, Lucy Housman, broke into their home early Saturday morning and attacked 13-year-old Orlando Lopez. "Like about almost six o'clock in the morning, I was sleeping, I wake up, and I hear my little borther's crying," explained Lopez's sister Ashley Silva. "I go over there. I see him. He's covered in blood. His head is just bleeding."
Lopez was taken to a hospital in critical condition where he underwent surgery. "My brother had to go through surgery, he had a blood clot in his cerebrum," Silva said. "Who has the heart to take a weapon that heavy and beat a 13-year-old boy while he's sleeping? He's sick!"
The family says this isn't the first time Housman has tried to harm them. They said he tried to run Lopez over with a car about two weeks ago. Housman has a record of violent behavior and was supposed to appear at a court hearing last Monday to face charges of attempted first degree murder on a minor.
With the whereabouts of Housman being unknown, the family say they fear for their lives. "We're petrified. We don't know where my husband is at right now, and he needs to be caught," said Lucy Housman.
Anyone with information on Erik Housman is urged to contact Sunrise Police at 954-746-3600 or Broward County CrimeStoppers at 954-493-TIPS.
(Copyright 2007 by Sunbeam TV Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
