Man shopping for Elmo doll for son says he was assaulted, robbed

A Knoxville man shopping for an Elmo doll for his son for Christmas said he was assaulted and robbed of $300, but he told Oak Ridge police he lost consciousness during the alleged assault and couldn’t remember where or how it occurred.

The 32-year-old man also could not explain a wet, blue towel in his truck with blood on it, an Oak Ridge Police Department report said.

The man reportedly drove himself to Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge with broken cheek bones after the alleged Saturday evening assault and robbery. He also had a red, swollen face; cuts and abrasions on his face and head; two large knots on the back of his head; a busted, bleeding lip; a one-inch cut above his right eye; purple marks on his face—and what appeared to be a shoe tread on the left side of his face, the police report said.

The man said he had been Christmas shopping for two children with $300 in each front pocket, and the money in the right front pocket was taken. He had stopped at two Clinton stores before driving to Oak Ridge to buy the Elmo doll, the man told Oak Ridge Police Officer Garrett L. Robbins.

The victim said he must have stopped to eat after entering east Oak Ridge, but he said he was unable to recall many details, including of the assault itself. He said he woke up on pavement next to his truck—although he wasn’t sure where he was at the time—and drove himself to MMC.

The man said he hadn’t been aware of anyone following him earlier, and the suspect is unknown, the police report said. The victim was instructed to call police if he remembers more information.