The perpetrator of the attack on an elderly German tourist in downtown Detroit may be suffering from mental health problems

DETROIT (FOX 2) – Within seconds, the life of a German family changed forever when an 81-year-old man visiting downtown Detroit on a cruise ship was attacked.

The elderly victim is said to be in serious condition and other relatives have flown to Detroit to assist him.

He was hit from behind by an employee who worked in one of the shops in the Compuware building near Campus Martius.

“It happened very quickly, within seconds,” said Commander Matthew Fulgenzi of the Detroit police. “He was angry for some reason and took his anger out on this elderly gentleman.”

30-year-old Lawrence Gilchrist is now accused of aggravated assault. He is said to have admitted his crime to the Detroit police. This was revealed in court on Tuesday.

“You told the officer, 'I knocked his ass out,'” the judge said as he read the report.

We have learned from Fulgenzi that mental health problems may have played a role in this situation, which investigators describe as an isolated case.

“He approached the victim, there was some exchange of words and finally he punched the victim in the face,” he said.

And then the elderly man fell and hit his head. He lies unconscious and unresponsive in the hospital, originally on vacation with his wife, and now calls the hospital home.

“I just asked his family, his two sons flew in from Germany and are in the local hospital,” said Fulgenzi.

The commander described Gilchrist's behavior as disturbing and was questioned about his previous offenses.

“He had previous contact with the police – very minor interactions, but we had previous contact with him,” he said.

There were some previous convictions for drunk driving and some traffic stops – but alcohol or drugs probably played no role in this case.

Commander Fulgenzi is thinking of the family and would like to make the following clear:

“Our downtown is fantastic and extremely safe,” he said. “This happened in a building where an employee made some very poor decisions.”

The DPD is monitoring the victim's condition as this could lead to further charges.