A group of teens allegedly went postal on a Flatlands mailman — firing snow and iceballs at him before beating him up.
Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said the three teens, two of which were minors, were arrested after their high school hijinks left the mail carrier bloody and bruised — a disturbing trend that’s been popping up throughout the borough of late.
The two minors were given desk appearance tickets and sent home, but the eldest of the trio — 16-year-old Walter Ward — was thrown in the slammer, charged with assault in the third degree, menacing and criminal possession of a weapon — the weapon being the snowballs.
Prosecutors say that mailman Russell Bumpurs, 33, was attending to his rounds on E. 54th Street between Avenues K and L at 2:52 pm last Thursdaywhen the three teens began chucking “tightly packed” snowballs at the mail carrier, hitting him about the body.
Bumpurs yelled at the teens to stop, but instead, the kids upped their game. They replaced the snowballs for their fists — leaving the postal employee with bruises to his face, head and hands.
Witnesses called police, who arrested the three teens at the scene. Paramedics were called in to treat Bumpurs, who, despite his injuries, was right back at work delivering mail the next morning.
Ward, who lives two blocks away from where the attack took place, was ultimately released to his parents.
His defense attorney, Jacob Lipsky, says Ward was a peacemaker and tried to stop the other two teens from attacking the mailman.
“My client tried to intervene,” he told reporters. “He’s innocent and looks forward to the opportunity to resolve this matter.”
Ward is expected back in court on Feb. 17.
Snowball attacks are not uncommon during cold days when snow is readily available. In Boerum Hill, a crew of teens pelted a pregnant woman with snow and ice — then laughed about it — on Jan. 25. About a week later, CNG reporter Andy Campbell, heading to a meeting, suffered the same fate in Cobble Hill. Campbell has since fled Brooklyn, taking a job at our sister publication, New York Post, which he’ll start in two weeks.
