The incident occurred about 4.30am on December 12, on the corner of Anstruther and High Sts, between the Elders and the Tobin Brothers buildings.
The 57-year-old man reportedly woke about 4.15am to a commotion coming from outside the hotel, where between eight and 10 young men between the ages of 17 and 20 were reportedly harassing two women.
The man did the “good Samaritan” thing to break up the incident and told the group to leave the women alone, according to Constable Hikaka
The group did leave the women alone, and walked south along High St, and the man followed on to ensure they were moving on.
It was then that one of the youths assaulted the 57-year-old on the corner of Anstruther and High Sts.
“We have CCTV footage from the VIVID building on High St, but the footage does not show that far,” Constable Hikaka said.
“We’re trying to identify the offender.
“(The 57-year-old) was a good Samaritan, trying to do the right thing, and has ended up with a very serious injury as a result.”
The police have urged anyone with information, or who might have been driving past the incident at that time, such as an early morning delivery driver, to come forward with information.
If anyone has any information, phone Echuca Police Station on (03) 5483 1500 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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