BEVERLY HILLS—A well-known Beverly Hills surgeon, who once appeared on the talk show “The Doctors,” was nearly beaten to death. According to reports, police are describing the attack as an attempted robbery.
Dr. Bruce Lee—who invented an FDA-approved pioneering procedure to treat women with uterine fibroids without major surgery—was attacked on July 23 at approximately 11:15 p.m. in Venice, California.
Lee was walking to his car, which was parked on Windward Avenue, when he was approached by three shouting strangers – two men and a woman; they accused him of damaging a bicycle parked nearby and demanded $150, according to law enforcement officials.
When Lee refused and tried to flee, the suspects got inside his vehicle. One of the men entered from the passenger side and beat Lee repeatedly with a handgun. Bystanders came to Lee’s aid and there were several witnesses at the scene, but they dispersed before authorities arrived on the scene.
“The guy just went ballistic and started brutally … sorry … started brutally beating him,” said Kimberley, Dr. Lee’s fiancé, to CBS Los Angeles news.
The physician was taken to Southern California Hospital in Culver City to be treated for injuries he sustained in the attack.
Police are foraging for security camera footage in the area that might have captured the attack and seeking help from witnesses. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Anyone with information related to the case is asked to call Los Angeles Police Department Officer Theodore Bridges at (310) 482-6380.