CBS2 Exclusive: Mother Of Lower East Side Beating Victim Says 'He's OK'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police are on the hunt for two suspects who allegedly chased down a man and punched and kicked him repeatedly on the Lower East Side.
Held to the ground and beaten, surveillance video outside 156 Orchard St. shows the 24-year-old victim, William Franco, trying to cover his head while two men kick, stomp, and punch him into the pavement.
His mother lives about a block away from where the attack happened. CBS2's Jessica Borg spoke exclusively with her Saturday, getting her reaction to the beating.
"Like any mom would be -- worried, that's it," she said.
Police sources tell CBS2 Franco and the two men had gotten into an altercation at a nearby bar right before that attack. The police sources say Franco claims he never met the attackers before Friday morning.
"He probably don't know them," his mother said.
Neighbor Sunny Torres said he was shocked that Franco seemed to be targeted.
"That's very strange. He really minds his own business, really a very nice kid," he said.
"He's alright, he's OK, he doesn't want to speak," his mother said.
The street was bustling early Friday morning. Despite several people walking by, nothing and no one could stop the onslaught. CBS2 spoke with an eyewitness who was too traumatized and terrified to be identified.
"And they wouldn't stop -- just going on and on and on, like, and that's when I was yelling: 'Stop! Stop! He's down! Just leave it! Go!'" the witness said. "It was really gruesome and hard to watch."
He said some bystanders screamed out, but no one dared to intervene.
"I mean they were big guys, I myself couldn't stop them," the witness said. "I don't think there was any stopping them."
He said once the men eventually left their victim, others in the area stayed with the man until emergency crews arrived.
Another man in the area saw the emergency crews arrive.
"I saw the ambulance; police surrounding around the situation. I saw the guy actually laying on the floor," the man said.
"I want the people who did it to get consequences for that. It's not right," the first witness added. "That's a human being."
Franco was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue in serious condition, police said.
The suspects then fled in a black livery car, police said.
Anyone with information was asked to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS or (888) 57-PISTA for Spanish, log onto the Crime Stoppers website, or text tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and enter TIP577.
