"I thought he was going to kill him." Those are the words of a woman as she watched her 73-year-old husband get attacked by a man during a road rage incident last month in Oak Lawn.

Joseph and Deborah, who asked to be identified only by their first names, said they fear for their safety after what they went through at the intersection of Cicero Avenue and Southwest Highway on Nov. 28.

Joseph suffered a broken nose and jaw, two broken teeth, and scrapes on his hands. Nearly two weeks later, he said he's still a bit sore.

"He had to have two plates put in his jaw," Deborah said.

Oak Lawn Police said the person responsible for Joseph's injuries is 41-year-old D'Angelo Groce, of Rockford.

"I thought he was going to kill him. I thought he was going to kill him," Deborah said.

The couple said they were heading south on Cicero Avenue near 90th Street, when Groce drove out of a gas station in his truck, and cut her off as she tried to get into the lane to turn right onto Southwest Highway.

"When I tried the get over, he sped up and he plowed right into me," Deborah said. "I got out of the car and I said, 'What the hell dude?' like that, and he didn't say a word. He came up to me and pushed me. … I went backwards, and when I went backwards, I landed on my elbows. My glasses went flying backwards. I lost my phone on Cicero Avenue."

Joseph saw what was happening to his wife and got out of the car to help her. That's when he was punched and knocked to the ground.

Deborah said she heard Groce tell her husband "get up again MFer, and I'm going to finish you," as Joseph was on the ground and trying to get up.

"I was so upset. I was crying. I was saying, 'Stop it. Stop hitting him!'" she said.

Witnesses called police. Groce was arrested at the scene and charged with two counts of aggravated battery.

Groce has a prior conviction for burglary in 2010. In 2012, he had a domestic violence conviction. And in 2020, he was convicted of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a motor vehicle. He ended his probation for the 2020 convictions in December 2023.

Deborah said, with the holidays here, she's now left to navigate the aftermath of her husband's injuries, with mounting dental bills and car repair costs of more than $2,000.

"We have no dental insurance. It's like $7,000 we had to pay to get his surgery done," she said.

She said her heart breaks for her husband, who was diagnosed with dementia three years ago.

"He's going through enough, and to go through this much pain that he's been through, it's just totally unnecessary," she said.

A judge ordered Groce held at Cook County Jail while he awaits trial, saying he is a risk to public safety. He is due back in court on December 19th.