The owner of the Coney Island bodega returned to work Monday, but after he was attacked by three men inside his store, he is now calling for protections for businesses across all five boroughs. NBC New York’s Adam Harding reports.
Surveillance video shows a brutal beating that came seemingly out of nowhere, as a Brooklyn bodega owner was attacked by three strangers in his own store.
Cameras captured the wild brawl inside the Coney Island store. One suspect can be seen hopping over the counter and begin wailing on store owner Jamal Seweid while holding something in his hand.
"I was running out the door and he kept hitting me, the blood was all over me," said Seweid.
A second worker was knocked to the ground while the brutal beating continued. A third man can be seen picking up a display case near the register and throwing it toward Seweid, before the suspects take off running.
"I saw the video, and I was like, 'Oh my God,'" wife Marie Shazada said, thankful her husband is still alive — but still worried. "They wanted him dead, and that’s what we’re worried about. What if they come back?"
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Seweid, who said someone used a racial slur before the attack, was rushed to the hospital and he is now recovering. On Monday, community members rallied outside the shop on Mermaid Avenue that Seweid has owned for 23 years.
Some in the community are calling what happened a hate crime — a notion Seweid agrees with.
"One hundred percent. Why’d they come to my place? I don’t have anything to do with them," he said. "I don’t have any problems with anyone here, I’ve never seen these people before in my life."
City Councilmember Justin Brannan, who represents the district, said something needs to be done to protect bodega workers, who have expressed safety concerns in recent months — after several high profile assaults.
"It’s just not acceptable, and I think as an elected official, we’ve got to stand up and call it out," said Brannan. "I think everything needs to be on the table. Bodega workers can’t work from home, they’re out there."
As of Monday night, the suspects are still on the loose, but Seweid was back behind the counter. He hopes whomever attacked him is caught soon, and is calling for protections for businesses across the city.
"He cares about his community, he really does," said Shazada.
