Two Recent Alleged Assaults Near Our Area
The NYPD and a neighbor have brought to our attention two alleged violent incidents near Ditmas Park within the past week.
The first incident happened on Saturday, December 21 at about 2:45pm, says the NYPD, when a 33-year-old woman and her 7-year-old daughter were walking near E 12th Street and Elm Avenue in Midwood.
The victim says the suspect (sketched above) punched her in the back of the head and ran off, leaving her on the ground with injuries to her hands and knee. She described her attacker as a black man wearing a black wool cap over short braids, as well as a green jacket and dark colored jeans. He is said to be 5’7″-5’9″ and about 170-185 pounds.
Although there was some initial confusion as to the suspect’s motives, a spokesperson for the 70th Precinct says the attack may have been part of a robbery or bias crime, and that it is being investigated by the Hate Crimes Unit.
The second report of an alleged assault comes from a neighbor who says he witnessed an incident just after 6pm on Sunday, December 22. He says he saw a man get hit in front of 811 Cortelyou Road (between E 8th and E 9th Streets), although he was about half a block away. He says the two attackers, who younger than the victim, “walked away casually” towards Ocean Parkway.
Although our neighbor says police arrived and took witnesses’ testimony, a spokesperson for the 66th Precinct said he hadn’t heard anything about the incident.
Anyone with information about either of these crimes or the identites and whereabouts of these suspects is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting your tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. The NYPD says all calls are confidential.
