Retired cop Harvey Kraft speaks out about sucker punch attack on Brighton Beach
NEW YORK - A retired cop who took a vicious cheap shot to the head Tuesday in Brighton Beach is speaking out on how he stood his ground and even chased the bad guys.
"It was one o'clock in the afternoon. Broad daylight, crowded street. It was just something you don't expect," Harey Kraft said.
Kraft was shopping Tuesday at a store on Brighton Beach Avenue looking at sweatshirts with his back to the street when police say guys seen in surveillance video pounced on him with a serious sucker punch from behind.
"They hit me in the temple," Kraft said. "But I could tell it was full impact, roundhouse blow, because it felt like a brick."
The blow may have knocked anyone to the ground, but not the tough 66-year-old. He's retired NYPD, 20 years on the job, and you know that by what he did next.
"But as soon as I saw I wasn't knocked out, and I pursued them, they are all running for their lives," Kraft said. "Not that I'm Superman. But I'm just glad it wasn't an individual or someone that would've been seriously hurt."
Kraft says he lost the guy he was chasing. He says it didn't appear they were after anything, except perhaps a place of twisted glory in the world of social media.
"I saw that they had their video cameras ready to record. They thought I guess it would be a jokey matter to put on YouTube or get some media publicity," Kraft said.
He says that even when you're shopping in your own neighborhood, you have to be on guard.
"I want to advise people that they have to be aware of their surroundings, and unfortunately, it's like you have to have two sets of eyes in front of your head and the back of your head," Kraft said.
Kraft says he was not carrying his gun at the time of the assault.
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.