What to Know
- A teen suspect was charged in connection with an attack and robbery of a woman who was walking to Sunday Mass in Queens, according to police.
- The surveillance video shows the woman is mere feet away from the front door of Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in the Briarwood section, when suddenly a man who is following her throws her from the top step.
- The woman landed on her back, smacking her head on the concrete sidewalk. As she lay there motionless, video showed the attacker rifling through her pockets, stealing her purse, running off and then stealing her car.
The 16-year-old suspect charged in connection to Sunday's attack and robbery outside a Queens church that left a woman fighting for her life in the hospital tried tried to hurt himself while in police custody, law enforcement sources said Friday.
Following his arrest on Thursday, sources said the teen took off his shirt and wrapped it around his neck while inside the 107th Precinct. Officers intervened before he could be seriously injured.
He faces charges of assault, robbery and grand larceny for the violent incident on April 7, which was captured on security camera video. It showed the 68-year-old victim, identified by her family on Thursday as Irene Tahliambouris, mere feet away from the front door of Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Briarwood when suddenly the suspect who was following her threw her from the top step.
The woman landed on her back, smacking her head on the concrete sidewalk. As she lay there motionless, video showed the attacker rifling through her pockets, stealing her purse, running off and then stealing her car.
Detectives had been out canvassing for more evidence in the area of 152nd Street and 84th Road. Four days after the attack, police said that a 16-year-old had been arrested and charged with assault, robbery, grand larceny and possession of stolen property.
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Due to the age of the attacker, his identity was not shared.
News
“The viciousness with which the defendant is accused of having committed the robbery at the church struck the city at its core. As alleged, he chose to rob an elderly woman by first pushing her down the stairs and then proceeded to take her purse and leave her to suffer while he took off in her car," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement.
The DA also alleges the teenage suspect stole a car in an unrelated robbery days earlier, on April 4, from a separate female victim.
"Horrible. I could not believe my eyes. Seeing what he did to this lady," Rev. Konstantinos Kalogridis of St. Demetrios previously said. "She was coming to church to pray, to participate. I don’t know what kind of a person this is but evil. Pure evil.”
Parishioners helped the woman, who was taken to the hospital. Calling it a "brutal and senseless attack," the family said in a statement that Tahliambouris suffered a skull fracture and a black eye, and that she was "fighting for her life" in the hospital still. They added that she was "showing signs of recognition, giving us hope."
Rev. Kalogridis visited the victim in the hospital. He said the fact that she survived the harrowing attack is a miracle.
"She is such a sweet lady. She is a very humble low-key person," the reverend said.
The family, meanwhile, criticized the state and city laws for high rates of criminal recidivism. They also praised law enforcement for continuing the efforts to bring the suspect to justice.
"We know that the District Attorney and the NYPD are giving this case the attention it deserves. We trust that they will take all necessary actions to bring the perpetrator to justice and uphold the safety of our community," the family's statement said.
