Autistic Man Attacked, Beaten For A 3rd Time While Working At Catonsville Store

CATONSVILLE, MD — An autistic 38-year-old man was attacked for a third time Feb. 6 while working at the Shoppers store in Catonsville. His mother told WBAL that her son has even been robbed twice while on the job.

Corey Roberson was beaten and kicked in the face, then rushed to Shock Trauma. He is now home recovering with a black eye and other facial wounds. Witnesses said they found Roberson bleeding on the ground and two men running away from the scene. Police are searching for those men.

"Everyone calls him a gentle giant. He's been there 16 years. He loved his job," Roberson's mother, Lynette Roberson, told WBAL.

Roberson's job is to help customers carry their groceries to their vehicles and put shopping carts away.

"All our lives, we've been protecting Corey and this time I wasn't there to protect him. He didn't deserve it," Roberson's father Wes Roberson said.

Baltimore County police told 11 News the assault could be a case of mistaken identity. According to the police, there was a physical confrontation that occurred at the store the day before the attack on Roberson that involved another employee in a possible dispute over a shopping cart. Investigators think those suspects came back to finish what they started and mistakenly targeted Corey instead.

"As maybe a mistaken identity and that individual was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Baltimore County police spokesman Det. Trae Corbin said. "And there is no way Baltimore County accepts any type of violence and we will attempt to ascertain who these individuals are and prosecute them to the fullest."

"He's a vulnerable adult. He's an ambassador for Shoppers. Everybody loves him," Wes Roberson said.