A man was arrested after he was caught on camera knocking down a stranger from behind in a New York City shopping mall. The victim was left unconscious.
Jaheim David, 21, was charged with assault for the brutal attack at Kings Plaza Mall in Brooklyn on Saturday, Aug. 20. David went to the 63rd Precinct police station to turn himself in.
He had previously been arrested for domestic violence on June 24. According to police, he had punched his 20-year-old girlfriend in the face and cut her lip.
Police Arrest Brute Who Cold-cocked Stranger At NYC mall
In the latest incident, surveillance video shows a man standing in line as two men approach him from behind.
One of the men gets behind the man and punches him in the side of the face. As a result, the 36-year-old victim falls face-first to the ground.
The two men then begin to leave, but the suspect in the black shorts returns a few minutes later to check on his work. When he sees that the man’s body is motionless, he walks away.
A woman can then be seen picking up the victim’s phone and placing it near him. No one else seemed to help, however, and even a security guard seemed to just walk by.
The victim was taken by paramedics to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center. His condition was stable when he got there, and he was later released.
Authorities say the victim suffered “serious physical injuries” in the attack, which was unprovoked.
Police also say the victim did not appear to know his attackers and that the man who hit him was the first person to speak to him.
In another surveillance video from the mall, David, wearing black shorts, can be seen pushing up the security barrier at the parking garage next to the mall so his driver can drive away without paying.
The attack happened at a time when crime in New York City was soaring.
Overall crime is up 36% year-over-year, and aggravated assault is up nearly 20% year-over-year.
Surveillance cameras caught Bui Van Phu, 55, putting on gloves and hitting Jesus Cortes, 52, in the back of the head with full force a week before last Saturday’s unprovoked attack.
After hitting his head on the concrete, Cortes fell to the ground and looked like he was unconscious. He suffered a fractured skull, fractured cheekbone, and bleeding on the brain. He was taken by ambulance to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi on August 12.
An initial investigation revealed that Cortes left the restaurant, stopped, and saw a few people talking. At that point, another person exited the restaurant, put on a pair of gloves, and stood behind the victim.
An NYPD spokesperson said, “The person punched the victim in the face without talking to him or arguing with him first.” The person then walked back into the restaurant and then left the area.
According to authorities, Cortes was in critical but stable condition after the fight. He has since undergone brain surgery and has just been taken off a ventilator.
Meanwhile, the NYPD is investigating the brutal attack.
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