Bat Attack In New York Over A Parking Spot Leaves Man Hospitalized With Severe Brain Damage
Two people were arrested after being caught on camera carrying out a horrific and sickening bat attack on a man in the middle of a Queens street in New York over a parking spot.
The attack, which occurred on 49th Street in Sunnyside on Friday, left the unidentified victim with brain damage and on a ventilator, according to authorities.
The video shows alleged attackers Arturo Cuevas, 30, and Daisy Barrera, 27, ruthlessly hitting and kicking the 28-year-old man in broad daylight.
In addition to being kicked and hit with a bat, police said the man had also been knifed five times ‘throughout the body’ and entered the hospital in critical condition.
Barrera and Cuevas have each been charged with attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree, and assault in the second degree.
In the short but shocking video, the pair of attackers are seen beating the man as he sits in the middle of the road, near the intersection of 49th Street and 47th Avenue.
The attack took place just before 4pm, according to police. Just before they began their ambush, Berrera and Cuevas had reportedly been engaged in a dispute over a parking spot in the busy area.
In the horrifying video, the 28-year-old man is seen sitting up as blood is spotted feet from his body.
Cuevas at one point pulls up his leg and then kicks the victim in the head just seconds before Barrera is seen bringing the bat over the shoulder and striking him directly in the head.
In the video, several bystanders are seen in the area, including one woman who attempts to intervene and gets close to Barrera.
‘Oh my God, stop!’ a woman can be heard yelling in the clip. Two other women stand to the side while another person stands nearby. The kick and hit from the bat causes the victim to lay flat on the ground but that does not stop Cuevas from getting in his face.
The man points an object at him and strikes him again just before the video ends. Police said the unidentified victim was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center, where he had severe brain trauma and was placed in critical condition.
According to the criminal complaint, Cuevas confessed to cops upon his arrest. ‘It was me,’ he reportedly told police officers. ‘I told you it was me already. I already told you that I’m the one that did it,’ he allegedly said.
The man also admitted that he ‘punched, kicked, stabbed, slashed with a knife and hit with a baseball bat’ the victim. ‘I took the bat and knife and brought them to my apartment and they are in my room,’ Cuevas said.
Police say he even specified what kind of bat was used in the attack. In a statement, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said the defendants will face consequences for their actions.
‘This shocking display of brutality will be met with justice,’ Katz said. ‘We have charged with attempted murder and given the viciousness of the attack, asked the court to keep the defendants in custody prior to trial,’ she continued.
According to an NYPD spokesperson who spoke with the New York Post, Cuevas was previously charged with assault and harassment for an attack on a 27-year-old man in April 2022.
Cuevas allegedly pulled that victim out of his car and punched him repeatedly in the face with brass knuckles.
Less than a week later, he allegedly punched a 41-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman in the face on April 11 for unknown reasons.
He was arrested and charged again with assault and harassment. Barrera has no prior arrests. Cuevas and Barrera are next slated to appear in court on March 23.
