An Oakland County jury returned with a guilty verdict last Friday for a Farmington Hills man tried for a violent physical attack on an elderly man at the Farmington Hills YMCA last year.

At the conclusion of a trial before Oakland County Circuit Judge Victoria Valentine, Malik Ali Smith was convicted of assault with intent to do great bodily harm for the March 1, 2024 attack against a then-80-year-old man. Smith had been initially charged with assault with intent to murder, but the jury convicted him of the lesser offense.

According to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, trial testimony revealed that Smith and the victim “exchanged words” while in the facility’s locker room, and then Smith was seen slamming the victim’s head against a counter. A witness then intervened.

“The victim was left unconscious and bleeding, and he had to be hospitalized after this assault,” Prosecutor McDonald stated in a news release. “When we first brought charges, I said this was a vicious, senseless attack and clearly the jury agreed after looking at the evidence. Their verdict will hopefully provide the victim a measure of justice.”

Smith faces up to 10 years in prison for the crime. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 27.