Elderly Man Pistol Whipped During Robbery Attempt In Tulsa

An elderly man says he was robbed and assaulted on the job near 76th and Sheridan.

The man says he does contract paint jobs and that he was pistol whipped in the front yard.

He says it happened during the day and on a street that sees a decent amount of traffic.

79-year-old Larry Applegate was working Friday when he says a guy in a white Chevy Silverado got out and asked him if he was done working.

After he said “yes,” Applegate says the guy told him “Give me your blankity blank money right now,” and he replied, “you’re kidding.  Get out of here!”

He says he walked toward the back fence, thinking the prankster would leave.

“My mind is saying ‘this is not really happening.  I’m on a nice street, good neighborhood, the middle of the day, people all around,’” he said.

But then, when he turned around, the guy put a gun to his face.

“I really thought he was going to kill me,” said Applegate.

Instead, he says the guy pistol whipped him.

“I blocked it,” he said.  “He cut my hand there, and of course, he cut me on the top of the head.”

That’s when he screamed for help and the suspect took off with a getaway driver in the truck.

It all happened as the next door neighbor pulled into her driveway.

“Thank God for the neighbor.  The neighbor came running over,” stated Applegate.

“He was definitely pretty shaken up and scared,” said Leslie Bennett.

Bennett called 911 and tried to keep him comfortable, but now neighbors are on edge.

“My father, as well, he just retired, but he’s always doing yard work,” said Bennett.  The fact that this is happening in the front of houses, at three in the afternoon.”

Applegate says of his attacker, “that’s pretty brazen.  That’s really brazen to assault in the middle of the day.”

He thinks the suspect was on drugs since he was acting erratically.

Police are looking for more information, but it doesn’t look like there was a tag on the truck.