New York City Jewish man claims attacker yelled ‘Allah’ and ‘Israel’ during beating caught on video
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lipa Schwartz, the victim of the attack, told the news website Boropark24 that he feared for his life. (Boropark24.com)
A New York City cab driver was caught on video viciously beating a Jewish man in the middle of an intersection.
The victim, Lipa Schwartz, reportedly told a state assemblyman that the attacker was yelling the words “Allah” and “Israel” while pummeling him early Sunday morning in the heavily-Jewish Brooklyn neighborhood of Borough Park.
“I’m out of the hospital with some minor bruises, but the trauma of being attacked by someone who seemed to want revenge will stay with me forever,” Schwartz, 62, said in an interview with local news website Boropark24.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I feared for my life. I knew it’s either I fight myself out of this, or I might be dead,” he added.
It is not clear what provoked the attack.
The lawyer of Farrukh Afzal, the 37-year-old suspect, told the New York Post that Schwartz punched his car as he was crossing the street. Prosecutors said to the newspaper though that Afzal honked his horn at Schwartz as he believed he was walking too slowly.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Surveillance footage of the incident shows Afzal, after getting out of his car, chasing Schwartz down a sidewalk and into an intersection.
While attempting to flee Afzal, Schwartz trips and falls onto the road. Afzal then punches Schwartz in the side of the head before pulling him up and tossing him to the ground as he tries to gather his belongings.
The savage beating ended when a bystander approached the two men. Afzal is seen running after the bystander while Schwartz regains his composure and walks away.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office said Schwartz suffered cuts to the lip, tongue and ear, bleeding from the mouth, swelling to the hand and scratches to the foot and head during the attack. (Boropark24.com)
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office told Fox News on Monday that Afzal, of Staten Island, is facing attempted assault in the second degree, assault in the third degree, menacing and harassment charges.
The bystander is said to have notified authorities of the attack and media reports added that Afzal has had eight prior arrests. The New York Post reported he is being held on $15,000 bail.