John Edd Thompson, the longtime chief meteorologist for Mobile station WALA was attacked at a gas station Tuesday, his 81st birthday, according to a report from his former station.

Thompson told his former station he and his wife pulled into the Murphy USA station on University Boulevard near Cottage Hill road when he was approached by a man asking for money.

When Thompson told the man he didn’t carry cash, the man cursed at him and called him a liar before physically assaulting him.

“I started to get into the right side of the car,” he told WALA, when the man grabbed him “and started punching me in the face.”

Thompson said the man then threw him down and “got in his car and acted like he was gonna run me over” before bystanders indicated they were calling 911. The attacker then fled the scene.

Thompson sought medical attention for his injuries and reported the assault to Mobile police Wednesday morning.