A 63-year-old Aurora homeowner needed staples in his scalp and roughly 30 stitches in his face after a man allegedly followed him into his garage and beat him without saying a word. Tom Ruszkowski says he was punched in the back of the head as soon as he walked in, then continued to be struck while he lay on the garage floor. The man accused of attacking him, 33-year-old Kendan Lubovich, is now being held without bail — and already has three other felony cases pending.
Attack Unfolded in Family's Garage
According to court documents cited by 9News, Lubovich is accused of sneaking up behind Ruszkowski in the family's garage on the 2200 block of South Elkhart Street and pummeling him. Ruszkowski told the station, “I got punched right in the back of the head,” and said the beating continued once he was down. He said his attacker never uttered a word throughout the assault — “The man said nothing,” he recalled.
Ruszkowski's wife tried to intervene, and the couple's grandchildren were yelling during the attack. Amanda McClain, who heard her own children screaming and someone shouting that grandpa was being hit, said she grabbed a Swiffer and then a baseball bat to get the attacker off Ruszkowski. She said she believed the man might have killed Ruszkowski if she hadn't stepped in.
Serious Injuries, Lasting Damage
Ruszkowski ended up with staples in the top of his head and roughly 30 sutures across his face and forehead, the station reports. He also lost a tooth and suffered a shoulder injury in the beating. Lubovich was arrested Sunday afternoon in Aurora and is now being held without bail at the Arapahoe County jail; he is due in court Wednesday on the new charges stemming from the incident.
Three Other Felony Cases Already Pending
Court records reviewed by the station show Lubovich already had three felony cases pending before this latest arrest, all involving prior assault allegations and an arrest history dating back to 2011. The first stems from a May 18, 2024 incident in Weld County, where he was charged with second-degree assault-strangulation, child abuse, sexual contact without consent and indecent exposure. A competency evaluation in that case was completed in June, and he is next due in court Nov. 20.
The second case arose from a June 23, 2025 incident in Arapahoe County, where he faces two counts of second-degree assault on a peace officer, two counts of attempted second-degree assault on a peace officer and four counts of third-degree assault. That competency evaluation was completed in July, and his next court date is Dec. 3. The third pending case involves a charge of second-degree assault causing serious bodily injury tied to a June 26, 2025 incident, also in Arapahoe County; a competency evaluation in that case was likewise completed in July, with a court date set for December.
All three of those cases remain on hold over questions about whether Lubovich is mentally competent to stand trial. Under Colorado law, that question goes to the heart of whether a criminal case can proceed at all — the state requires that a person facing charges be able to assist in their own defense, according to the Colorado General Assembly, and a case cannot be adjudicated unless that standard is met.
A Record Stretching Back Years
Lubovich's run-ins with the law predate his current cases by nearly a decade. In 2019, he was sentenced to 18 months in the Colorado Department of Corrections for vehicular eluding, a Class 5 felony, after a Boulder district judge handed down the sentence, according to the Daily Camera. He received credit for 157 days already served in the Boulder County jail at the time. The paper also reported he had prior convictions in Boulder and Weld counties for disorderly conduct, possession of a weapon by a previous offender, attempted assault on a police officer, felony trespassing and felony menacing.
For now, Ruszkowski is recovering from his injuries while the newest case against Lubovich moves forward alongside the three that remain stalled over the competency question.
