A 49-year-old woman fought off a knife-wielding robber as he slashed a man in a violent mugging caught on camera in the hallway of a New York City apartment building last week.
Police said the robber forced the woman and 52-year-old man into the hallway of an apartment building at East 175th Street and Crotona Avenue in the Bronx at knifepoint about 11:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Then, police said the man -- seen in video with a long blade and a bandanna covering his mouth -- snatched the woman’s purse.
The man tried to fight the attacker off and could be seen in surveillance footage struggling over the purse. The attacker then pushes the man to the ground just outside the camera’s frame and grips his knife like he’s about to plunge it downward.
The woman comes running up from behind with a broom, whacking the robber’s shoulders and head as the attacker makes slashing motions with the blade. The woman then could be seen ringing her neighbor’s doorbell while swinging away at the robber.
Police said the man ran off sometime after that, and it was not immediately clear if he got away with anything.
The 52-year-old man was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital with slash wounds to his hand and arm and is expected to survive his injuries.
Local
Anyone with information about the attacker should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
