Cops busted a man suspected of brutally slashing another guy and leaving him for dead on a Borough Park street early Sunday morning.
The victim told police he noticed the 21-year-old suspect and two other men following him down 14th Avenue near Church Avenue at 3:55 am, when one of the trio hurled a brick that hit him in the back of the head and sent him flying to the pavement, according to court documents.
The three men then beat the victim and stabbed him several times in the back with a knife, before leaving him on the blacktop in a pool of his own blood, court documents show.
An eyewitness described the victim as a senior and claimed the attack followed a dispute between the man and the suspects, which turned violent after the victim fell while chasing the trio on foot.
“First the older man ran after them, and they ran away, but then he tripped,” said Joseph Friedman, who was in town visiting from upstate New York when he spotted the assault. “They had a bat in hand, and they started beating him very strongly. He didn’t scream and he tried to protect himself.”
A good Samaritan behind the wheel of a Ford Explorer eventually pulled up and chased the suspects away, according to Friedman, who said the experience scarred him.
“I was really traumatized, I couldn’t sleep, it was horrible,” he said. “I wanted to help, but I don’t have any muscle. That’s why I called the police.”
Paramedics rushed the wounded man to Maimonides Medical Center to be treated for multiple stab wounds, a broken nose, and a gash on the back of his head, according to officials, who said the victim is in stable condition.
Police caught the suspect hours after the attack, and charged him with assault and criminal possession of a weapon, cops said. His two accomplices, however, remain at large.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577–8477. The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. All tips are strictly confidential.
