Woman sucker punched in Crown Heights recounts the frightening attack: 'I was so scared'
CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A vicious and unprovoked sucker punch left a woman battered and shaken in Brooklyn, and while her wounds may recover, her fear may take longer to heal.
Though hard for her to talk, the 57-year-old Dulce Pichardo spoke exclusively to Eyewitness News reporter CeFaan Kim after she was violently attacked while walking down Grand Avenue near Dean Street around 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
Video shows the suspect ignore another man walking nearby, and then punch Pichardo in her face, causing her to stumble backwards.
"What happened? Why are you hitting me? Why are you hitting me? I was bleeding a lot. I was so scared. So afraid," she said.
Her mouth is now wired shut after her face was fractured in several places. She will need to drinking food out of a straw for six weeks.
She also suffered permanent damage to her lower lip, and three of her teeth were knocked out. She might need surgery.
Pichardo says her attacker didn't say a word. He just stared at her and then broke her jaw.
"He hit me very, very strong over here," Pichardo said. "And he broke everything here. Everything broke."
Pichardo is a school bus aide and was returning from work when the attack happened. She was just steps away from home.
Her brother owns a restaurant across the street from where she lives. He and an employee chased the suspect down.
Yohan Flores says the suspect was standing cold and emotionless when they confronted him. The suspect denied attacking Pichardo.
Pichardo's brother and the employee followed the suspect for several blocks and stopped him from fleeing until police arrived.
Officers arrested the man, identified as 33-year-old Franz Jeudy.
He was charged with misdemeanor assault, meaning he's not bail eligible. He will be released back onto the street, and that's the part that has the victim and her family frustrated and afraid.
"Every time I see a man, I cross," Pichardo said. "I'm not going to be close to nobody. I'm very afraid. I tell my son where I'm going, I want you to walk with me."
The victim's niece Joselyn Martinez said Jeudy is being charged with third-degree assault because there was no intent.
Jeudy has seven prior arrests for assault charges.
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