SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – Mayor John Taylor was punched and kicked during an assault Saturday night while he was walking home from a Christmas party with his wife, authorities said.

Two men assaulted Taylor, knocking him to the ground and kicking him in the head as his wife tried to get the men to stop, said Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Authorities are unsure of the motive for the assault, Taylor said, since the men did not demand or take any property from Taylor or his wife. His position in public office is not believed to have been a motive, Amormino said.

Taylor said Monday that he could not comment until the investigation is over. Other city officials also declined to comment.

The assault was reported at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday near Los Rios and Del Obispo streets, according to the department blotter.

According to the city’s website, Taylor has lived in the Los Rios historic area of the city for more than 20 years. He was first elected to the city council in Dec. 2010.

Taylor and his wife of 23 years were walking home when they heard people walking behind them, Amormino said. The couple walked to the side to let the men pass when one of the men punched Taylor in the face.

“They knocked him to the ground and punched and kicked him in the face area,” he said. “His wife attempted to help her husband. She did scream.”

The assault stopped shortly after Taylor’s wife shouted that mayor was being attacked. The two then ran off.

The men were described as being about 6 feet tall and about 220 pounds.

Taylor was taken to a hospital and treated for cuts and bruises.

Deputies are investigating the attack and are searching for witnesses in the city, Amormino said.

No arrests have been made.

REACTIONS

Former City Councilwoman Laura Freese, who worked with Taylor on the council for two years before she left this month, said she was “devastated” by the news of the attack.

“As Mayor Taylor said to me, it is the first time he had ever felt danger walking along his street in the 27 years he has lived there,” Freese said. “I am grateful it wasn’t worse.”

Freese said she believes the City Council will address the issue.

“Safety for all our residents is the No. 1 focus of the City Council,” she said. “I have complete faith that the council will take swift action to make sure that this type of tragedy doesn’t happen to anyone else in our city.”

Carolyn Franks, a resident of Los Rios Street and owner of Zoomars Petting Zoo in the Los Rios district, said she was at the zoo about 10:30 p.m., an hour before the assault. She said an unmarked sheriff’s vehicle was patrolling the area at the time.

“We’re all kind of shaken by it,” Franks said. “It’s very dark on that street at night.

“It’s a really unfortunate incident … it is probably time to talk about making it a little safer there,” Franks added. “I mean, it is our historic district and we want to protect and make people comfortable walking around there at night.”

Longtime Los Rios Street resident Stephen Rios said he was home at the time of the attack but didn’t hear it.

“We are not going to be intimidated in our neighborhood,” Rios said. “We’re going to walk our streets freely and we’re going to work with the neighbors, the city and the Sheriff’s Department to make sure all concerned will be safe in our neighborhood at any hour of the night or day.”

– Josh Francis contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: shernandez@ocregister.com or 949-454-7361