CLEVELAND — An elderly landscaper is in critical condition after he was beaten up at his office Monday by an unidentified man.
Larry Manno, 74, was left with broken ribs, several head injuries and punctured lungs.
"He wanted to get up and I told him to stay down. He said he was having trouble breathing," said Susan Sevcik.
Sevcik worked for Manno more than 30 years at Manno Lanscaping on Buckeye Road and East 128th Street.
She said she found him lying on the floor in his office just as his attacker was trying to get away.
"I came to the door and I hollered to him and I said, 'You, what did you do,' and he just looked at me and took off going east on Buckeye," said Sevcik.
Sevcik said she decided to help her friend instead of running after the man.
"His pockets were turned inside out, he was bleeding from the head," she said.
Manno is being treated at University Hospitals while the Buckeye community tries to piece together who could have done this.
"He kept his roots here in the community," said community activist Robert Render.
Render says Manno has stayed in Buckeye for 50 years despite its issues and he wants justice for his friend.
"I don't know what your problem is and why you did this, that remains to be seen when the police catch up with you, but you need to turn yourself in," said Render.
Anyone with information is asked to call police. Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,500 reward for information that leads to an arrest.
