A group of workers prevented a potentially serious beating in a seemingly unprovoked assault on a man who says he was only sitting on a park bench along E Pine near Cal Anderson when another man attacked him Tuesday just after noon.

According to SPD, the victim told officers he was sitting on the bench when another man approached him and began beating on him with some sort of blunt object like a stick or a cane. The man said he covered his face and hands to fend off the blows and was able to escape across the street to the Oddfellows Building when an electrical crew working nearby intervened and stopped further assault.

The victim, who told police he was 86 years old but told Seattle Fire he was in his 60s, suffered an injured hand in the melee but was not taken to the hospital.

The suspect was described as a black male in his 40s wearing a dark overcoat, dark pants and a hat. He left the scene heading east on Pine according to witnesses and was last seen crossing 12th Ave. A search for the man and the cane or stick used in the beating was not successful, SPD says.

Spurred by an increase in complaints around the park, East Precinct has said it is increasing its presence in the Capitol Hill open space. We’ll have more on that soon.

For the crime trends and statistics for the first half of 2011, see 2011 crime trends say things are better across the Hill (except for those pesky burglars).