Arrest made in Inwood catcall beating that left man critical

INWOOD, Manhattan (WABC) -- Police have arrested the man they say attacked two men making catcalls at a woman he was with in Manhattan last week.

Authorities say 18-year-old Branlee Gonzalez attacked a 39-year-old man and a 69-year-old man outside of a building on Sherman Avenue in Inwood around 3:30 a.m. last Thursday, leaving the older man in critical condition.

Gonzalez is charged with two counts each of first- and second-degree assault.

People who live in the area say the homeless routinely hang out along the strip, but they'd never witnessed them haggling women.

Police say the 69-year-old homeless man was sitting along W. 207th Street with another man, when he allegedly called out something to the young woman walking by, flaring the temper of her companion who unleashed a fury of blows.

"A lot of blood and cuts, I feel a little sad because it's really old people," said a nearby grocery store manager who didn't want to be identified.

He said the girl was part of a group that cameras captured before the confrontation, and that the group seemed riled up before they even encountered the homeless man.

"If he said something bad, is it OK to defend a woman?" he said. "It's not OK, like, let it go, and not have things personal. You can pass by."

The victim was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he remains in ICU in critical condition. The 39-year-old man also was taken to the hospital with injures.