Sacramento Mother Says Stranger Attacked Her 8-Year-Old Son

A Sacramento mother says her 8-year-old son was attacked by a stranger in broad daylight.

Megan Gash told CBS13 her and her son were walking home after getting donuts from Marie's Donuts on Freeport Boulevard.

They're calm morning turned violent when Gash says 53-year-old Richard Lopez attacked her son out of nowhere.

"Honestly, I was terrified because my first thought was he was going to grab my son and take him,” said Gash.

The attack occurred around 8:00 A.M. on Thursday, April 1, according to Sacramento police.

Gash said she saw Lopez acting oddly and waited for him to pass before they continued their walk. Moments later she says he turned around and targeted her son.

“He circumvented me and went right behind me and hit my son in the face,” she said. “He didn’t go for me — he went for my son, that’s intentional and that’s just crazy to me."

Lopez was booked and released from jail but never appeared in court, reports CBS13. There is currently a felony warrant for his arrest.

While Gash's son is physically okay, she's concerned about potential mental trauma from Lopez's attack.

“I can tell by some of the things that he says that there is some emotional trauma there, and so we are finding him a therapist and going to get him treatment," she said.

Sacramento police are asking the community for help in locating Lopez.

“Not only do I want him off the street, but it’s obvious that Sacramento has a growing homeless problem,” said Gash. “My god, what else are we waiting to happen? I don’t want another kid to get hurt.”

Photo: Getty Images