1 arrested, 3 still sought in violent Upper West Side attack
UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- Police have arrested one person but continue to search for three others in the attack of a woman as she walked under scaffolding on the Upper West Side.
Trinity Velez, 18, is now in police custody and facing a charge of assault.
The attack happened just after 10 p.m. last Thursday night near 68th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in a walkway under scaffolding at a construction site.
The punch was hard, and the woman, who did not want to be identified, said in an exclusive interview to Eyewitness News that she is bruised and in pain.
"I have fractures, three fractures on my face," the 57-year-old victim said.
She was bloodied and had a swollen eye.
Last Friday, the NYPD announced they were searching for two suspects, but then the following day, they upped that number to four and released photos of all of them.
Two suspects were caught on camera punching woman in the head from behind while trying to rob her.
The victim fell to the ground, and police say they tried to snatch her purse, but she fought back and would not let go. The attackers eventually fled empty-handed.
"It was so painful, I started screaming like crazy," she said. "They want to take my bag, but I held onto my bag because I could not give it to them."
Meanwhile, the victim says it will be weeks, maybe even months before she is back to 100 percent.
"She fought back, which is a good thing, because I believe in self defense," neighbor Victoria Davis said.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
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