A 36-year-old Manhattan man has been arrested in connection with a brazen bat attack on an unsuspecting pedestrian that played out in broad daylight on a New York City sidewalk last week, authorities say.
Karim Azizi was charged Wednesday with attempted assault, assault and criminal possession of a weapon in the 8 a.m. Amsterdam Avenue ambush in Harlem on Tuesday, Nov. 29.
His apprehension comes days after the NYPD released the video clip of the altercation.
It shows the victim, in a puffy red jacket, walking casually down the sidewalk when a hooded man dressed in black moving at a quick pace catches up to him. The hooded man turns away from the victim briefly before pulling a brightly colored baseball bat from inside his pants.
He takes a few quick steps toward the victim and swings the orange bat at the back of the 47-year-old man's head, knocking him to the ground. The bat-swinger appears to yell at the victim as he rolls on the ground, seemingly stepping forward in a way that suggests he might strike him again. Then he walks away with the bat, still shouting at the victim.
Police said the pedestrian suffered a gash to his head and some bruising in the attack. He was taken to a hospital in Harlem to be treated for his injuries and is expected to be OK.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
No details on a possible motive were immediately available Wednesday, nor was information on a possible attorney for Azizi clear by late morning.
