Family and friends of a father violently attacked while riding his bike last week gathered at a candlelight vigil in Brooklyn on Tuesday night to pray for his recovery.
The man who attacked 38-year-old Domingo Diego-Tapia was still on the loose nearly a week after the assault, and the victim’s family has been calling on the community to help apprehend the suspect at large.
Dozens of people were at Tuesday's vigil, some holding signs that said, "Justicia."
His wife, Esther Diego-Tapia, tearfully talked about her husband, saying in Spanish that his condition is "grave." She said her boys, 7-year-old Pedro and 5-year-old Jose, keep asking when their father is coming home. They also draw pictures for him, aware but not fully understanding of his condition.
At the vigil, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams pledged to write a personal $1,000 check for info leading to an arrest in the case.
"We can't continue to do this," Adams said of the threat of violence to bike riders. He told the family, "Your pain is our pain."
Diego-Tapia was riding his bike home on Fulton Street in Bed-Stuy early Thursday morning when he was violently punched in the face by a man, police said. Surveillance cameras captured images of the assault and of the suspect.
Local
Diego-Tapia fell to the ground and suffered severe head injuries, including a fracture to his skull. He was listed in critical condition and remains in a medically-induced coma at Kings County Hospital.
According to his family, Diego-Tapia is a Mexican immigrant who owns a fruit stand on Church Avenue.
