NYPD: Man Wanted For Attacking Family And Knocking Grandmother Onto Subway Tracks In Brooklyn
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The NYPD has released new video of a man who allegedly attacked a family and knocked a 73-year-old grandmother onto the subway tracks Monday in Brooklyn.
It happened shortly after 1:30 p.m. on the southbound A/C platform at the Clinton-Washington station.
Police said the suspect was smoking marijuana as he walked by a 30-year-old man, who was with his grandmother and 82-year-old grandfather.
Family members told CBS2's Christina Fan the grandson is extremely close to his grandparents. He was taking them to a Medicaid office in Brooklyn to help them apply for benefits when they were beaten.
Police released an image of the suspect, who they described as between 25 and 30 years old, 5-foot-7 and 200 pounds, with a medium build. He also has a light complexion, black hair and facial hair, and was last seen wearing a black baseball hat, black hooded sweatshirt, gray pants, white sneakers and black backpack.
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Lester Smalls said he was running to catch the C train Monday afternoon when he saw a rush of paramedics and firefighters.
"They had two people sitting up against the wall. They were bleeding all over. And I wasn't privy to it, but somebody said there was a female up on the tracks," Smalls said.
Family members said the grandson was standing on the subway platform with his grandparents when the stranger approached them.
The grandson asked the man to stop smoking marijuana and was promptly punched in the face.
The grandfather ran to his grandson's aid and was also beaten, while the grandmother was knocked onto the tracks, into the path of an oncoming train, police said.
Luckily, the conductor was able to stop.
"When I saw my dad, he had blood behind his head and a bleeding lip. My mother had oxygen tubes inserted down her throat. Her legs were wrapped in bandaging," daughter Ren Cheng said through a translator.
Cheng was too upset to show her face on camera, but described her family's anger.
"How can there be people like this? You only say one thing and they turn around and assault you? There's no law and order anymore in America," Cheng said.
Commuters told CBS2 not only are they keeping an eye out for the suspect, they're also watching what they say to strangers from now on.
"If I see that on a train, I either go to the next car or move on. I don't want to say anything because everybody's mindset is different," said Samantha Philbert of Bedford-Stuyvesant.
"There are so many people walking around here that are ticking time bombs," added Tiffany Coates of East New York.
The grandfather was later released from the hospital after receiving several stitches.
Both the grandson and the grandmother sustained severe head injuries and still remain hospitalized, Fan reported.
Anyone with information about the attack 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 on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
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