Police say a brazen thief put a 79-year-old man in a headlock and slammed him onto the ground before stealing his personal items.
The victim entered the lobby of an apartment building near East 213th Street and Dekalb Avenue in the Norwood neighborhood of the Bronx around 7:15 p.m. Thursday, authorities said.
That's when the suspect caught him off guard by approaching him from behind and placing him in a headlock, police said.
Surveillance footage shows the assailant grabbing the man and throwing him onto the tiled floor. The victim helplessly waves his arms in surrender while the thief punches and kicks him in the face and body several times.
The victim lay motionless on the ground as his attacker dug into his pocket and removed his wallet before charging out of the building entrance.
Authorities said the robber stole $220 and a cellphone.
The victim, Abraham Lopez, said he was so badly beaten his eyes were swollen shut and had to get stitches in his forehead at Jacobi Hospital.
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His daughter, Celia Lopez, told NBC 4 New York that his father still feels pain through his entire body and bruises are still visible on his face. He's barely able to move a day later.
She was emotional as she recalled the video showing the brutal attack.
"Yesterday was my father. Today or tomorrow, could be another person," she said.
Police said the suspect is approximately 6 feet 3 inches tall with a mustache. He was last seen wearing a black ski jacket, a dark-colored hoodie and baseball cap, red pants, a camouflage backpack and black and white sneakers.
Anyone with information in regards to this robbery is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.
