Man Arrested For Upper East Side Robbery
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Bronx man has been arrested and charged in connection to a Dec. 2 robbery that took place on the Upper East Side.
Clarence Copeland, 54, has been charged with robbery in the second degree. Police say he followed a 54 year old woman into the vestibule of her residence on East 67th Street and demanded her bag.
He proceeded to punch the victim in the face and body before taking her bag and fleeing the scene on foot, according to police.
As CBS2's Dave Carlin reported, neighbors said the 54-year-old victim recently moved in to the building where the attack happened, and she was in the entryway getting her keys out of her bag when she was attacked.
Surveillance video showed a raging suspect with his face angry, and it took only seconds for him to turn mercilessly violent.
"That's horrible," said Rob Gervase of the Upper East Side. "That's very surprising and really bad."
The video does not show the woman hit the ground - seriously injured. Neighbors heard her screams and came running.
Anthony Bennetti said his friend bolted down the stairs to help.
"He heard noises -- unusual noises for, you know, this area, and ran down and kind of saved the day," Bennetti said. "Definitely scared off the guy."
The victim went to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center with her face severely bruised and a gash near her eye that neighbors said required stitches.
Neighbors said the block, dotted with upscale stores and luxury residences, might give some people a sense of safety. But crimes of opportunity happen almost anywhere.
"Because the park is right there, and of course the subway is right over there, so it's very easy for people to travel from one section to the next," one woman said.
"I feel that you always have to have your guard up anywhere in the city," said Giovanna Patafio. "It happens a lot."
A woman named Barbara lives in the area and told 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria she saw the video.
"It is frightening that it's happening in this neighborhood, but it's happening all over New York City, so Friday night, my husband and I were walking around the same neighborhood," she said.
As for the building's security, of the two entry doors, only one locks. Some residents said it is now time to lock both.