Hell’s Kitchen attack: Suspect arrested and charged with assault after 85-year-old man hit on the head in Manhattan, NYC

HELLS KITCHEN, Manhattan (WABC) – Police have arrested the suspect accused of randomly attacking an 85-year-old man in Hell’s Kitchen.

Marco Tomas, 29, of Manhattan, is charged with second-degree assault in connection with the attack.

The incident occurred shortly before 5 p.m. on Friday at 400 W. 43rd Street near Ninth Avenue. According to police, Tomas approached the 85-year-old and then hit him on the head.

“To actually see him lying on the ground with all the blood around him – it was heartbreaking. You know, I have a grandfather,” said eyewitness Juan Rivera.

After the attack, police crowded the corner, just steps from David Kholikov’s fruit stand. On a busy corner filled with delis, cafes and restaurants, Kholikov says nothing surprises him anymore.

“You know what else shocks me? A few weeks ago someone threw stones here,” he said.

Kholikov said the stones were thrown from the balcony of a nearby building and hit a customer at a fruit stand in the neck.

“I want to have a normal day. I’m a hardworking person – I’ve been working here for more than 10 years and I just want to do my job and take care of the customers,” he added.

Shortly after the man was struck, a crowd of people gathered on the same street corner, not knowing that the attack could have happened to any of them.

“Most of the time my husband is at work, so I’m alone with the baby and the dog and I’m always walking around with pepper spray,” said Manhattan resident Pam Gala.

Some believe that more police foot patrols and possibly more thorough monitoring of the area could be helpful.

The 85-year-old victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.

ALSO READ | Video shows 95-year-old grandmother attacked by housekeeper in Harlem

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