KEY POINTS
- The good samaritan covered the homeless man with his coat before being attacked
- The accused stole the victim's wallet before running away
- Cops arrested the man, who is also accused of assaulting other victims
A good samaritan was beaten up and robbed after offering his coat to a homeless man on a Midtown sidewalk in New York on Wednesday morning.
The homeless assailant was arrested and is accused of attacking other innocent victims on different occasions.
The 59-year-old victim was walking down the sidewalk in front of 476 5th Avenue at about 8:40 a.m. when he came across 25-year-old Xavier Israel lying on the ground. The victim tried to help the homeless man by gently placing his coat on top of him. However, within moments, Israel jumped to his feet and struck the man to the ground.
Surveillance footage, obtained by the New York Post and later shared on social media, captured Israel grabbing the defenseless victim’s wallet from his back pocket.
The victim attempted to get his wallet back but was punched and pushed off before Israel ran away from the scene. Cops managed to arrest Israel shortly after he escaped from the spot. The victim was offered medical attention on the scene but he refused it.
When investigators spoke to witnesses, they were told that Israel stuffed wads of cash inside his pants. Cops found the homeless man with $1,500 on him, according to Newsnpr.
Israel was arrested and now faces several charges, including assault, robbery and grand larceny, sources told the New York Post.
This is the second time Israel was caught for attacking a victim that simply offered him help within the span of a week. On Jan. 8, Israel allegedly beat up a 49-year-old woman who offered him help outside a building on East 81st Street in the Upper East Side. Sources reportedly said that the good samaritan fell to the ground and suffered a cut to her elbow. Sources also revealed that Israel was arrested after attacking the woman but was later released on a desk appearance ticket.
On another occasion that took place on Jan. 2, Israel was accused of assaulting two other teenage victims for no apparent reason. The pair of 18-year-olds, a man and a woman, were sitting on a rock inside of Central Park when Israel allegedly punched them randomly. Sources reportedly said the homeless man was caught and charged with assault in connection with the incident.
Representative image Photo: Credit: Pixabay
