Suspects sought in attack on 74-year-old man in restaurant on Upper West Side
UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- Police are searching for two suspects in a violent attack on a man during an argument inside a Manhattan restaurant.
The NYPD released surveillance video of the men wanted in the June 1 incident at a restaurant on Broadway on the Upper West Side.
"Should've walked away," the victim said Wednesday night, but in that moment he didn't think things would escalate to the degree they did.
The 74-year-old was having dinner at the La Neuva Victoria restaurant when he says a disruptive family of three sat at the adjoining booth.
For his safety he does not want his name used.
"I asked the lady and the young man to stop bouncing around and then the father said, 'Why are you disrespecting my wife?'", he said.
And the situation escalated when the father at the table cursed at him several times.
"He called me n***** about 5-7 times and I said don't do that, don't call me that, don't do that", the victim said.
And it didn't stop there. "He got up and he told my fiancé do you want me to kill him," he said.
At this point the victim knew he was in a bad spot, but what he didn't expect was the teenage son, at least 6 feet tall, to make his move.
"The son went like this, and then he went like that and he hit me over there," he said. "It was like I was hit by a 2 by 4 here."
Police said one of the suspects punched the man in the face, knocking him to the ground. The other suspect hit him with a chair.
In the surveillance video police released, the father and son are seen leaving the restaurant.
"I think he's a danger to the community," the victim said.
The NYPD issued the following descriptions:
Individual# 1: Black male, approximately 18-years-old, 5'10", slim build; he was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and multicolored sneakers.
Individual# 2: Black male, approximately 40-years-old, with a bald head, a beard, and tattoos on his left forearm and right bicep. He was last seen wearing green camouflage pants, a black t-shirt, and black and white sneakers.
Anyone with information in regards 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). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
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