Man Charged In Violent Robbery Of Woman In East Harlem Building Foyer
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A suspect was arrested and charged Monday in connection with the violent robbery of a woman in the foyer of her East Harlem building.
Bryan Hogan, 24, was charged with robbery, burglary, and criminal possession of stolen property in connection with the attack on Thursday, Dec. 11.
Police believe Hogan – whose last known address was at a men's shelter in the East Village – was the one who hurled Elyse Rosales, 22, down a flight of stairs and tried to take her purse.
Rosales was just getting home from school around 6:20 p.m. Thursday, when she says she heard someone get buzzed into her building. She didn't think anything right off the bat of the man who entered the lobby.
But then he attacked, and it was all caught on the building's security camera.
"He tried to ask me a question, and I had my headphones in, so I didn't hear him. So when I went to go to take my headphones out, that's when he tried to grab my purse," she said.
The suspect grabbed Rosales' purse, threw her down the stairs, and slammed her to the floor, causing her to drop several items.
The John Jay College student had to think fast.
"Does he have a weapon? What can I do?" she said. "I tried scratching him, but it was like, I was holding on to my purse because I knew if I could get DNA, that would help. But it was just impossible for me to scratch him because I was, like, holding on to my purse for dear life."
Rosales is 5 feet tall and weighs 97 pounds, but as tough as they come, CBS2's Matt Kozar reported. She was left with a bruise on her arm from the attack.
Inside her purse was her wallet, her iPad, and most importantly, her school notes.
"I had all my school stuff, which is -- finals are next week," Rosales said. "That would have really put me behind."
Ultimately, the man gave up on the purse. But he did make off with the woman's Samsung Galaxy cellphone, and left the purse, police said.
You Might Also Be Interested In:
