Mike Ross of KTUU for NBC News:The winner of a recent Alaska lottery was beaten with a tire iron or a metal pipe by a stranger Tuesday, according to the Anchorage Police Department.
Alec Ahsoak, 53, is also a convicted sex offender.
After taxes, he won about $350,000 in a lottery set up to benefit a local organization, Standing Together Against Rape, which aims to educate the public about sexual assault.
Police say 20-year-old Brandon J. Hughes of Los Angeles who was unknown to Ahsoak, stopped Ahsoak as he entered the Fifth Avenue Mall Tuesday at around 2:30 p.m.
Hughes asked Ahsoak if he was the "half million dollar lottery winner," and Ahsoak responded that he was.
As Ahsoak was leaving the mall later, Hughes approached Ahsoak and struck him in the head with a metal object about eight or 10 times.
Ahsoak threw a drink he was holding at Hughes and ran to a nearby café, where he called police.
"There's certainly been a lot of publicity on the fact that the lottery winner has a criminal past. Perhaps that was in the assailant's mind, but I don't know," Lt. Dave Parker said.
Chris Robuck, who manages a jewelry store just across the street from the mall, said shortly before the attack Ashoak came into his store and thought about buying a $5,000 ring.
"He told me that he had just bought two Lincoln navigators for the price of one, and he was going to buy a house out in Big Lake for $240,000," Robuck said. "He said that he had to hire a lawyer because people were bad mouthing his name."
Robuck said Ashoak then went across the street to the Fifth Avenue Mall.
When Ashoak left the mall a few minutes later, police say Hughes attacked him with a lead pipe or a tire iron.
Robuck said he saw the attack as it was happening.
"I saw a young guy just whapping somebody on the back of the head with what looked like a lead pipe," he said. "So I was probably 40 yards away, and I yelled as loud as I could 'Hey! Knock it off!'"
Robuck said he had no doubt that Ashoak's life was in danger.
"The guy kind of stopped, looked at me, and I thought maybe he was coming after me next," Robuck said. "But I guess when I shouted as loud as I did, he stopped his assault, and it was a pretty brutal one."
Police say Hughes ran away, and Ashoak was taken to a hospital, but was later released.
Ashoak identified Hughes as his attacker.
Police also said one of the two women who were with Hughes at the time of the attack was taken into custody, but she has not been charged with any crimes.
Hughes has been arrest for second-degree assault, and his bail was set at $90,000.
However, Hughes is also charged with being a fugitive from another state due to a warrant he had in California, so he cannot be released on bail.
