Union City, CA – One of the suspects captured on surveillance video attacking an elderly Sikh man in a Manteca park on Monday was the son of the Union City police chief, and his parents helped authorities track him down (video below).

Union City Police Chief Darryl McAllister explained the difficult situation in a heartfelt post on his department’s official Facebook page on Wednesday evening, and said that his son, 18-year-old Tyrone McAllister, was a suspect in the attack.

Chief McAllister said his son Tyrone had been estranged from his parents and sisters since he was released from jail a few months ago.

Surveillance video from a nearby house showed Tyrone and a 16-year-old friend assaulting 71-year-old Sahib Singh Natt at about 6 a.m. on Aug. 6 as he walked through Greystone Park, the Modesto Bee reported.

Initially, the young men confronted Natt as he walked down the sidewalk, so he went into the street to get around them, police said.

The video showed Natt putting up his hands as the two men approached him.

Tyrone, wearing the black hooded sweatshirt, kicked Natt in the chest, sending him to the ground. When the elderly man landed, he smacked his head on the pavement so hard it knocked his turban off of his head, the video showed.

The 16-year-old assailant backed up out of the camera’s view at that point, but Tyrone continued to attack the old man, kicking Natt repeatedly as he lay on the ground.

The video showed Tyrone kicked Natt at least three times before he spat on him and then walked away.

In his public post to the community, Chief McAllister laid out the details of what had happened, and how he had come to find out that his son was a suspect in the crime.

“I am completely disgusted in sharing with you that, later yesterday evening, I received a call from the Manteca PD that the suspect in this horrific crime turns out to by my 18-year old son. He has been estranged from our family and our home for several months now,” the chief wrote.

“Even though my status as a law enforcement leader has no bearing or relation to the case whatsoever, I am nonetheless devastated by how much the nature of my son’s actions are such a departure from everything I have stood for in my personal life, and in my 37-year policing career,” he continued.

The chief explained that his son had lost his way as a juvenile and gotten involved with a bad crowd. He said Tyrone was arrested for theft-related crimes and spent time in juvenile hall, and that he had been arrested again as an adult and had just served three months in jail.

Not only did the chief and his wife not endorse Tyrone’s behavior, they helped police to put their son back behind bars, Chief McAllister explained in his long message.

“About 10am this morning, Manteca police tracked, found, and arrested my son in Modesto. My wife and I worked with Manteca PD to help them track him down and arrest him. He now faces serious felony charges for which, if convicted, he stands to spend a considerable about of time in prison. My family is shaken to the core,” the chief wrote.

The chief thanked the community for standing by him and his family, and apologized profusely to the Sikh community – and Natt specifically – for his son’s actions.

Former San Francisco Police Chief Tony Rivera told KPIX that Tyrone’s actions were not reflective of his father in any way.

“[This is] obviously very, very serious and something that is certainly not consistent with the chief’s behavior,” former Chief Rivera said. “He’s a classy guy and I know he’s a good family man. And I know he’s an outstanding police leader.”

Tyrone and his 16-year-old accomplice both face charges of attempted robbery, elder abuse, and assault with a deadly weapon.

McAllister was booked into the San Joaquin County Jail, according to the Modesto Bee. He partner in crime went to the Alameda County Juvenile Detention Center.

Police were still investigating whether the crime met the legal requirements to charge the young men with a hate crime. There was a language barrier between Natt and his assailants and the elderly man was not able to tell police exactly what his attackers said to him, the Modesto Bee reported.

“Words can barely describe how embarrassed, dejected, and hurt my wife, daughters, and I feel right now. Violence and hatred is not what we have taught our children; intolerance for others is not even in our vocabulary, let alone our values. Crime has never been an element of our household, our values, nor the character to which we hold ourselves,” Chief McAllister told the community in his apologetic post.

You can see the video of the attack below: