Pastor beaten after trying to buy gift off Craigslist

A pastor was viciously beaten at the hands of two men he met to buy a gift for his son, according to police.
Now they are searching for the suspects who put Hartford pastor Luis Borges in the hospital Saturday afternoon.

"He just wanted to get something for me because I asked for it," said Peter Borges, the victim's son.

Police said it happened as Luis Borges handed over $400 in exchange for an iPhone 6 at his church, Assembleia de Deus on New Park Avenue, in Hartford's north end.

The phone was supposed to be a birthday present. Luis Borges responded to an ad he saw on the website Craigslist.

"He helped so many people," said Keila Alexander, the victim's daughter. "Everyone loves him. We would never have imagined this would have happened to him."

Alexander said she watched part of the attack.

"I just see it in slow motion and I see it over and over again in my head," she said.

She said after being struck in the jaw by one of the suspects, Luis Borges' head was slammed into the pavement.

Alexander said Luis Borges was unconscious for 10 minutes.

As of Monday morning, he remained in Hartford Hospital for treatment. His family hoped he could be released later in the week.

"He's under a lot of medication," Alexander said. "He's had blood in his brain, so he's not that well."

A photo taken during the ordeal was later shared with police.

In it, police described one suspect as a man in his 20s who stood about 5'6" tall and wore a gray sweatshirt with the word "fly" on it. The other was a man who weighed about 150 pounds and wore black sweatpants and a black sweatshirt.