New York

Woman Attacked With Hammer Goes Into Cardiac Arrest: Sister

Her injuries were described as "devastating"

What to Know

  • A hammer-wielding man went on a rampage in Brooklyn, attacking a neighbor in her apartment and then dragging her outside naked
  • He left her outside and then started to attack vehicles with the hammer before running into his own second-floor apartment
  • Cops took him into custody, having to shock him with a stun gun when he opened the door holding a knife and the hammer, they say

A 68-year-old woman who was beaten with a hammer in a middle-of-the-day rampage by a neighbor has taken a turn for the worse, her family said. 

The woman went into cardiac arrest overnight, her sister told NBC 4 New York on Saturday. 

The woman was in her third-floor apartment in Brownsville on Wednesday when her 32-year-old neighbor broke down the door with a hammer, police said. 

He hit her repeatedly in the head with the hammer and dragged her down the stairs and outside, where he vandalized several cars, officials say. 

The woman had been naked when he broke in, and that's the way he took her outside; a woman who witnessed the chaos said another neighbor came out and covered the victim with a sheet. Her injuries were described as "devastating." 

After dragging the woman out and vandalizing the cars, the man ran back into his own apartment, a floor below the victim. Police showed up. He was still holding the hammer and also had a knife when he opened the door, they say. Cops shocked the man with a stun gun and took him into custody. 

“The guy came out holding a knife. He was holding the hammer. But the officers were able to deploy their Taser and restrain him,” Brooklyn North Assistant Chief Jeffrey Maddrey told News 4. 

The suspect has no criminal history and neighbors say he struggled with mental issues. Maddrey stressed the NYPD provides each officer with hours of training on how to handle emotionally disturbed people and also equips them with stun guns. 

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