Hilton Head attacker uses tree limb as a weapon, Beaufort County deputies say

A man swinging a tree limb punched his victim in the face and attacked his car Sunday afternoon on Hilton Head Island as the victim was trying to find a property for sale, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report.

The victim came to the Sheriff’s Office on Hilton Head and told deputies he’d been attacked around 5:30 p.m. on Marshland Road by a man he recognized, according to a Sheriff’s Office report.

The victim said he was driving on the road looking for a property listing when he saw a man he recognized and flagged him down to say hello. At that point the suspect approached the man’s car, “became aggressive” and punched the victim on the left side of his face twice as he sat in his car, the report said.

The suspect then grabbed a tree limb from the ground and began to strike the vehicle, causing scratching and denting to the hood, the report said.

The victim then drove away to report the incident.

A deputy noted in the report that the victim had redness on the left side of his face near his eye and that the marks on the vehicle appeared to be fresh.

No arrest was listed in the report.

This story was originally published August 30, 2017 at 2:11 PM with the headline "Hilton Head attacker uses tree limb as a weapon, Beaufort County deputies say."