Caught On Video: Sanitation Workers Attacked On The Job In East New York
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Two New York City Sanitation workers were ambushed during an overnight shift in Brooklyn and police are looking the suspects who were caught on camera.
The assault happened Wednesday on Milford Street near Pitkin Avenue in East New York.
Police said the workers got into an argument with two women who were upset their Uber could not pass the sanitation truck, CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis reported Friday.
The women allegedly called three friends who arrived and attacked the uniformed workers.
CBS2 was told when the men confronted the workers, one said, "Yo, what did you say to my girl?"
Surveillance video shows one of the men ran toward the truck with a baseball bat and hit a worker.
Police said a second man pulled out a knife and one was armed with a golf club.
Video appears to show a man punched one of the workers.
"Big surprise... The guy was doing his job and then I saw they rush him with two baseball bats and start to beat up on him," said Lloyd Nelson, who works in the area and couldn't believe what happened.
"I don't know where it started from, but what I saw, it could be easily avoided," Nelson said. "We just all have to be careful... and respect each other."
Police said the sanitation workers, in their 40s, were in uniform and collecting along their route when the three men approached them.
The suspects allegedly ran off with a worker's cellphone and were seen getting into a red Chrysler 300, driven by a fourth person.
In a statement, the Department of Sanitation said the workers have an "incredibly difficult job, working day and night to keep New York City clean and safe."
The workers were taken to the hospital for treatment as a precaution. They were released and are expected to be OK.
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.
