ed Mazetier may be a grandfather, but at 84 years old, he's still got his chops.

And two men learned that the hard way.

Mazetier was driving down South Proctor Street Wednesday night when he spotted a car on the curb and two guys standing nearby. He thought they needed help, so he stopped.

But as soon as he pulled over, the two men pounced.

"The guy comes over to my car, and unfortunately my window was open, because he cold-cocked me. I mean, just sucker-punched me. Just bam!" Mazetier said.

The punch left quite a shiner on Mazetier.

"It hurts. It hurts right now," he said.

But he wasn't about to take a beating sitting down.

You see, Mazetier is a World War II veteran who also happened to spend his entire career watching over criminals imprisoned in the U.S. penal system. In short, he can handle trouble.

"When I opened the door, he started toward me and I kicked him in the balls," he said.

When the other man charged, Mazetier put his feet up and kicked him in the belly.

"He kind of bent a little and went down. And I went around the guy and I'm in the street, and I'm waving for cars to stop and, you know, help."

The two men fled, not having gotten whatever they were looking for.

Moments later, a passerby came to Mazetier's aid. That person had happened to get a glimpse of the fleeing men, and described them to police.

"And so the next thing I know, I was in the hospital and when the cops came in the hospital - the same ones that interviewed me - they said, 'We got 'em.' And I said, 'Thank God.'" Mazetier said.

Tacoma police believe the same two men assaulted another victim earlier in the evening in the same part of town.

Mazetier is recovering, still dealing with the shiner and the shock.

"It's wrong. It's absolutely wrong," he said.