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‘I own this block’: Bushwick man sentenced for vicious Greenpoint slashing and assault

Gavel and handcuffs
Michael Ruiz, 46, was sentenced last week to three-and-a-half years in prison and three years of post-release supervision for the violent assault that left two men injured.
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A Bushwick man will serve over three years in prison for slashing a stranger and assaulting a bystander who tried to intervene during a 2022 street attack in Greenpoint, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office announced Friday.

On Oct. 18, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Laura Johnson sentenced Michael Ruiz, 46, to three-and-a-half years behind bars and three years of post-release supervision for the violent assault that left two men injured.

At around 2:15 a.m. on June 28, 2022, Ruiz confronted a 39-year-old man who was talking on the phone outside his Berry Street apartment, telling him, “I own this block,” and threatening to kill him.

Ruiz retrieved a knife from his vehicle and continued to threaten the victim. When a passerby attempted to intervene, Ruiz punched the good Samaritan in the face, according to trial evidence.

He then knocked the 39-year-old to the ground, kicking him repeatedly before slashing him across the arm with the knife. The victim suffered a fractured orbital bone, a laceration under his eye, and a cut on his arm that required about 15 stitches.

Police arrested Ruiz two months later, and on Aug. 19, 2024, a jury convicted him of second-degree assault and third-degree attempted assault.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said the sentence holds Ruiz accountable for the “random and vicious assault,” although prosecutors had sought a five-year prison term.

“Keeping the people of Brooklyn safe is my highest priority, and violent offenders such as this defendant will face serious consequences,” Gonzalez said.