Ken Teshima, 66, of Palos Verdes Estates on Sunday shared a harrowing experience he had in Torrance.
“Last week Saturday, a homeless guy that I was helping for the last six months turned on me because I had to tell him to stop sleeping in our business park,” Teshima posted on Facebook. “I was doing it all out of love and got almost killed.
“My martial arts training saved me, and also God was watching over me and did not let me die. I still have work to do to serve Him.”
Fox 11 News reports that Teshima, the founder and CEO of Accountonus, had allowed the homeless man to park in the parking lot and sleep in his car as long as he didn’t cause trouble. However, “He was pooping on the ground and making trouble,” Teshima told Fox 11.
When told to leave, the suspect became combative, Teshima recalled. “I told him, ‘Look, I don’t want to fight you. I’m a martial artist. If I fight with you, I’m going to hurt you.’”
In an attack that was caught on surveillance video, the man got into his Nissan Altima and drove toward Teshima, hitting him and causing him to fall and hit his head on the ground.
“I almost got killed. My head’s cracked and it’s bleeding,” said Teshima, who spent the night in the ICU.
To add insult to injury, the suspect stole Teshima’s cell phone before fleeing.
Since the unidentified man remains at large, Teshima said he went public with his story as a warning to others.