Police searching for attacker who left 1 man dead, 1 critically hurt in Gravesend, Brooklyn
NEW YORK -- One man was killed and another was hospitalized in an assault early Thursday morning in Brooklyn.
Police sources said it's possible the altercation started because the two victims may not have paid for their car service. Now, the NYPD is trying to track that driver down.
Video shows an unknown man appearing to make a phone call for help, as a body lies in the street on West 9th in the Gravesend section of the borough.
Minutes later, police responded to the scene, waking up neighbors. Many said they were horrified after learning the news.
"A lot of police car came," a resident named Jimmy said.
"I found it shocking and appalling," one neighbor said.
"Oh my God, can't believe that," another said.
"It's very sad," another added.
At around 4:30 a.m., police sources say officers got called to the 1900 block of West 9th Street and found two men, who were known to each other but not related, bleeding in front of a home they had just been dropped off at by a for-hire vehicle.
Watch Natalie Duddridge's report
Sources said it appears they had both been beaten and punched in the head. They were rushed to Maimonides Medical Center.
Carlos Guaman, 66, was pronounced dead at the hospital, and 52-year-old Guilberto Giuracocha was listed in critical condition.
Police sources said an argument may have broken out between the victims and suspect after the two men did not pay their fare, adding as the victims started to walk to the sidewalk, the driver got out and assaulted them. Police said the vehicle the driver was driving was an unmarked car, not a marked yellow cab.
"It's shocking to me," said Giuracocha's ex-wife, who did not want to share her name for fear of retaliation.
She told CBS New York's Alecia Reid her ex and father of her children was savagely beaten in the back of the head. She says he and Guaman spent a lot of time together.
"They're very close friends ... They didn't like for trouble. That's the thing. That's why it's shocking now," Giuracocha's ex-wife said.
Now, as Giuracocha recovers, he is also mourning one of his closest confidants, who his family has also grown to know.
"I know him for a long time. I can say he was a good person," Giuracocha's ex-wife said.
Sources said the driver fled northbound on West 9th. Police have not released a description of the suspect or the vehicle and are asking for tips.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.