The generosity of a Lower East Side bagel shop artisan was repaid with a brick in the face.
The 63-year-old victim had just offered a cup of coffee and a bagel to a local beggar when the attack began, as shown by police.
The violence quickly escalated, with the assailant first threatening the victim with a chair, then hitting the handyman with a vacuum cleaner, and finally hurling the brick at his receding victim.
No arrests were made in the case as the craftsman was treated for a cut on his nose from the projectile, the managing director of Kossar Bagels & Bialys said on Tuesday.
The victim came up to him and said, ‘You should carry on. We can get you a bagel, we can get you a coffee, ‘”said the manager. “Because that’s what we usually do when you see a homeless man out there. … The guy was apparently offended and unfortunately attacked one of my boys. “
The confrontation started in front of the store and then continued behind a nearby store, the police said. The victim, who tried to fend off the attacker with a stick, was treated at the New York Presbyterian Hospital in Lower Manhattan for a cut open nose and a bruised wrist.
“He was really shaken because nobody expected that, you know?” Said the manager of the handyman. “He went to the hospital and was examined to make sure everything was okay.”
The manager said the homeless man showed up at the store on Grand St. last month and another shop clerk saw the suspect arrested near a train station at 8:20 a.m. last Wednesday, prior to the attack. He’s still in the neighborhood, but manages to escape the police when the store clerks call the police.
“Personally, I think I hope they get it just because people with mental illness need help,” said the manager. “Let’s get them help.”
Police officers are asking for help from the public to identify and track him down. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls are treated confidentially.
