Man charged with stabbing elderly Dearborn doctor

Doctor beaten unconscious, stabbed multiple times

DEARBORN, Mich. – Dearborn police arrested a man on suspicion of assaulting a 75-year-old doctor inside his practice in Dearborn.

The department is crediting a tip passed along by Local 4 in helping detectives make the arrest.

ORIGINAL: Dearborn doctor beaten unconscious, police seek public's help

Last week, Dr. Melfin Hoberman was exiting his office at the end of the workday to go to his car when he noticed a man outside, wandering around the parking lot.

The man allegedly ran toward Hoberman, who tried to go back inside his office. The assailant made it into the building, too, and assaulted Hoberman.

Hoberman was brutally beaten and stabbed 15 or 16 times in the legs during the attack, according to police.

Emmanuel Timothy Vaughn, 33, of Detroit, has been charged with assault with intent to murder, assault to do great bodily harm and armed robbery.

He is accused in the attack and allegedly stole Hoberman's car keys, wallet and cellphone before beating the doctor unconscious.

"I want to emphasize that this was not a random attack 'cause many people in our community were concerned. This was not a random attack," Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad said.

When the doctor didn't come home, his wife contacted Dearborn police, who broke into the office where he works and found him near death. Hoberman was transported to a hospital, where he currently is in stable condition.

At the time, police didn't have any information on the assailant and asked the community to help.

A neighbor in the area reached out to Local 4 and said they saw a man wandering around the office, picking at grass before the attack. Local 4 passed that tip along to police.

"The information by Channel 4 and the community stepped up big time, and we got this person in custody," Haddad said.

Dearborn police detectives said they have forensic evidence and even video of the attack.

Members of Hoberman's family said the doctor is doing infinitely better than he was last week.

Vaughn has a probable cause hearing scheduled for next week. He is being held on a $1 million bond without cash surety.

READ: Detroit man accused of leaving 75-year-old severely beaten with stab wounds at Dearborn business


About the Authors:

Rod Meloni is an Emmy Award-winning Business Editor on Local 4 News and a Certified Financial Plannerâ„¢ Professional.

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.