Shocking cell phone video released by the New York Police Department on Saturday shows the moment a man hurled traffic cones at a food vendor in Times Square as the city’s crime wave continues to spiral out of control.
In the video, a black man wearing a black t-shirt, black pants, and gray Crocs with socks could be seen walking towards the street vendor at around 6.15pm on May 14 on the corner of Seventh Avenue and West 40th Street.
The man appeared to be angry, and soon he could be seen throwing large orange traffic cones at the vendor off-screen.
He eventually walks away – but not before picking up one more orange traffic cone in front of him and throwing it at the victim once again.
Police say the man and the 57-year-old food vendor became involved in some sort of verbal argument on May 14 – though it remains unclear what led to the dispute.
At some point, police say, the argument became physical when the unknown assailant began kicking and punching the victim.
He then allegedly picked up a milk crate in the area and struck the food vendor over the head before hurling multiple traffic cones at the victim.
The victim suffered a laceration to his head as a result, NYPD officials said, and was brought to Bellevue Hospital where he was treated for his wound and released.
New York police are searching for a black male they say threw traffic cones and a milk crate at a food vendor earlier this month
Cellphone video showed the man hurling traffic cones at the food vendor off screen
Police say the unknown assailant and the 57-year-old food vendor became involved in some sort of verbal argument on May 14 – though it remains unclear what led to the dispute
As he was leaving the scene, the man could be seen grabbing another traffic cone and throwing it at the man again
The suspect, meanwhile, fled the scene and remains on the loose. He is described as a black male with an athletic build and short, dark hair. He is also believed to be six-feet-two-inches tall and weighs about 160 pounds.
The suspect was last seen wearing a black surgical mask, black sweatpants, a black t-shirt and gray Crocs.
Anyone with information about the suspect’s identity or whereabouts is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1 (800) 577 – TIPS. All calls will remain confidential.
The apparent beating comes as the Big Apple’s crime wave continues to spiral out of control with a 40 percent increase in major crimes.
According to New York Police Department data, major crimes have risen 40 percent over the last year in the City that Never Sleeps.
Major crimes in the Big Apple are up 40 percent over the same time last year
Driving the rise is a 42.5 percent increase in robberies, a 53.1 percent increase in grand larcenies and a whopping 58 percent increase in grand larcenies from automobiles when compared to the same time last year.
Burglaries are also up 33.6 percent and felony assaults are up 19.6 percent from last year – with 8,643 assaults already reported within the first five months of 2022.
Hate crimes, meanwhile, are up 31.1 percent.
And there seems to be no sign of it slowing down.
On Sunday, a 48-year-old man was shot and killed aboard a subway train in Lower Manhattan in what police are calling a random, unprovoked attack.
They told DailyMail.com that the victim was on a northbound Q train that was entering the Canal Street station around 11:42 a.m. when the gunman began firing, striking the man in his chest.
He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police are now continuing to search for the assailant.
MAY 22: NYPD investigated the scene after a man was shot and killed aboard a subway train in Lower Manhattan in what police are calling a random attack
MAY 22: The 48-year-old man was on a northbound Q train that was just pulling into the Canal Street station around 11:42 a.m. when the gunman began firing
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Meanwhile, on May 16, Kyhara Tay, 11, was shot in her stomach on a Bronx sidewalk in front of her family on Monday.
The gunman – later identified as 15-year-old Matthew Goodwin – was riding on the back of a scooter ad appeared to be aiming at another target when the young girl was hit.
He was arrested at around 2am on Friday at a local hotel where his mother reportedly sent him to avoid arrest.
He was charged with murder, manslaughter and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon for Tay’s death.
His alleged getaway driver, Omar Bojang, 18, though, remains on the loose. He is also wanted for robbery.
And earlier this month, a victim was killed in a stabbing after an argument broke out between two people inside Dave & Busters sports bar in the heart of Times Square.
The attack unfolded in the third-floor game room around 10.40pm on Saturday when one person pulled a knife on the other.
The suspect fled the restaurant after the attack but was arrested a short time later, reports the New York Post.
The victim was rushed to St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital where they were pronounced dead. The motive for the crime has not been made public nor is it clear if the two people involved in the stabbing knew each other.
And jut the next day, a Virginia man visiting his cousin in New York City was shot dead in broad daylight while sitting in a parked car on the Upper West Side.
Ronald Thomas, 27, of Glen Allen, Virginia, was seen getting into an ‘intense’ argument with a woman when a gunman pulled up in a car and shot him dead in the Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 he was seated in, New York Daily News reported. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
When his family was notified of the attack, Thomas’ brother went into cardiac arrest.
One nearby resident, Maria Beltran, told the Daily News, that this latest killing has people fearing for their lives.
‘I don’t even come outside here anymore,’ she said. ‘I just want to get the hell out of here. I’m going to the store right now and then I’m gonna go straight home.’
MAY 16: Kyhara Tay, 11, (pictured) was shot in broad daylight on a Bronx sidewalk in front of her parents
MAY 2: A victim was was struck in the head following an ‘intense’ argument with a woman. He was pronounced dead at the scene
MAY 2: Ronald Thomas, 27, of Glen Allen, Virginia, was fatally shot in broad daylight while sitting in a parked car in New York City’s Manhattan Valley neighborhood
But New York City Mayor Eric Adams campaigned on a platform of fighting the city’s growing crime problem.
In January, New York City Mayor Eric Adams unveiled a comprehensive plan to combat surge in crime. That included increased foot patrols as well as the revival of a plain clothes unit named Neighborhood Safety Teams.
He also met with 77 NYPD precinct commanders and other top officials to discuss ways to combat the surge of violence across the city earlier this month.
At the meeting, the mayor reportedly emphasized the need for authorities to become more actively involved with the community, alleging commanders should know schools principals, homeless shelter officials and other leaders in the neighborhoods they serve.
‘I need everybody to buy in,’ Adams told the officers at Saturday’s summit, The New York Post reported.
He also requested the input of all attending commanders in what many are regarding as a ‘very productive’ conversation.
‘The mayor and command staff of the NYPD had a productive meeting today with precinct commanding officers,’ Chris Monahan, president of the Captains Endowment Association, said after the meeting.
‘But, not discussing the real issue of the crime increase, is counterproductive. We must discuss the over-zealous [Civilian Complaint Review Board] and their lack of experience, prosecutors who refuse to charge or prosecute crimes and the state legislature which is okay with keeping violent criminals on the streets.’
‘We’re here for them, the community – and the community is here as you can see,’ 7th Precinct Commanding Officer Luis Barcia told WABC. ‘They’re also doing their part and working with us to stop the violence.’
‘This is how serious this is to everyone, including the mayor,’ echoed NYPD Deputy Inspector Ralph Clement.
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