VIDEO: Panhandler hurls brick in face of Lower East Side bagel shop handyman
A Lower East Side bagel shop handyman’s generosity was repaid with a brick to the face.
The 63-year-old victim had just offered a cup of coffee and a bagel to a local panhandler when the assault began, with the homeless man — bearded and wearing a black hoodie — hurling the brick from point-blank range, video released Tuesday by police showed.
The violence escalated quickly, with the attacker first menacing the victim with a chair before hitting the handyman with a sucker punch and then finally flinging the brick at his backpedaling victim.
No arrests were made in the case, with the handyman treated for a cut on his nose from the projectile, said the general manager at Kossar Bagels & Bialys on Tuesday.
The victim “approached him and said, ‘You should move on. We can get you a bagel, can get you a coffee,’” the manager said. “Because we normally do that when you see a homeless person out there. ... The guy took offense, it seems, to it and he attacked, unfortunately, one of my guys.”
The confrontation started in front of the shop and then continued behind a nearby business, cops said. The victim, who tried to fight off the attacker with a stick, was treated at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Lower Manhattan for a cut nose and bruised wrist.
“He was really shaken up about it, because nobody expects that, you know?” said the manager about the handyman. “He went to the hospital and got checked on to make sure everything is OK.”
The manager said the homeless man began appearing more recently at the Grand St. business over the past month, and another store employee saw the suspect arrested near a train station before the 8:20 a.m. assault last Wednesday. He’s still around the neighborhood, but manages to elude cops when store employees call the police.
“For me personally, I believe that I’m hopeful that they get him simply because people who have mental illness need help,” said the manager. “Let’s get them the help.”
Cops are asking the public’s help identifying him and tracking him down. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
