Attorney: Target victim was attacked out of retaliation

The attorney for a theater director attacked in a Dallas Target parking lot said the suspects who viciously attacked him did so out of retaliation.

Derek Whitener, 33, was attacked with a wooden rod Saturday night about 11 p.m. outside the Target on Haskell Avenue at Cityplace.

Police said two men wearing gorilla masks attacked Whitener as he left the store after he reported them to Target security guards as suspicious.

Whitener's lawyer said Wednesday that Target should have called for police to investigate instead of interacting with the suspects and telling them to leave.

“This is the worst nightmare of any customer, that you are threatened, you ask for help and rather than getting help -- you turn into a target for a deadly attack,” attorney Chris Hamilton said.

Whitener remains in critical condition at a Dallas hospital. The suspects in the case have not been located.