Central Park mugging thwarted by victim who fought back
CENTRAL PARK (WABC) -- In the latest in a string of muggings in Central Park, a 25-year-old fought back after two individuals attempted to steal his cell phone.
Ashikur Chowdury had just watched the sunset on the Great Lawn and was walking home through Central Park when the robbers tried to snatch his phone. When that failed, they pulled out a gun.
"I just told him, 'hey, you're not going to shoot that gun, you don't have the balls to shoot that gun," Chowdury said.
In that split second, he shifted the power dynamic. The muggers wore masks, but Chowdury could see that they were kids. He works with special needs children and he says his teacher instincts kicked in.
Eventually, a biker rolled up and called the police. The armed muggers ran off.
The incident, which happened Friday around 9:40 p.m. at 109 East Drive, is the third troubling attack inside the Manhattan park in recent days.
Two other separate muggings were reported in the park on Thursday.
In the first attack, officers say a 42-year-old man taking pictures in Central Park was punched and mugged at gunpoint by three men.
The man was held up just after 6 a.m. at East 59th Street and East Drive. The attack happened in a prominent area, off Grand Army Plaza, and near the Plaza Hotel and the flagship Apple Store.
According to police, one of the men put a gun to the victim's head, while another punched in him the face.
Later on Thursday evening, a 28-year-old woman was walking Westbound on West 97th Street and West Drive when someone grabbed her by the arm and demanded money.
The suspect punched the woman in the face, causing her to fall to the ground before grabbing her phone and fleeing. While the woman was on the ground, police say the suspect brushed against her breast with his elbow while taking her phone.
No arrests have been made in any of the three incidents.
The investigations into all three attacks remain ongoing.
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