EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – A Chicago area mother and East Lansing Police are pleading with the public for information in identifying a man accused of breaking an MSU student’s jaw.
Angie, who asked not to use the family’s last name out of fear of retaliation, is the mom who drove three hours from Chicagoland when the family got the call their son, Matthew, had been attacked in downtown East Lansing earlier this month.
“I saw him covered in blood and learned that he was going to be transferred because he was going to need reconstructive surgery and that his jaw had been broken,” she tells 6 News.
East Lansing Police confirm they are investigating an assault that happened on August 18, around 11:30 p.m. Police say they are searching for a man who they allege broke the victim’s jaw and robbed him that night in the 200 block of East Grand River Ave.
Matthew’s father says security camera video shows the man hitting his son in the face, grabbing the necklace, and leaving the business.
Read more: Police seek info on suspect in assault, robbery
Police released a still image of the man they are seeking. They are also seeking the identity of the woman who allegedly left the scene with the man in the black shirt.
A police incident log showed officers responded to an assault and larceny at the same address as Lou and Harry’s that same night.
After a weekend in the hospital and a four-hour surgery, Angie says she’s now feeding her son with a syringe.
The assailant allegedly walked off with a chain that held three religious pendants from Matthew’s family. The pendants are part of a blessing from his family before his first day at MSU. He’s a junior studying construction management.
His mom is thankful that Matthew didn’t experience even more severe injuries.
“They say everything came back clear,” Angie says of her son’s medical prognosis. “I do feel that it was blessing, and they did look over him”.
While staying in East Lansing and helping Matthew with his recovery, Angie and her family are pleading with anyone with information to come forward.
“No mother wants to receive this call,” she says. “This could happen to any other student or any other person.”
Police say if you have any knowledge about the suspect and woman pictured, please contact Det. Jason Cotton at 517-319-6842.
