Police Looking For Suspect In Brooklyn Attack On 89-Year-Old Woman
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Police are looking for a man suspected of attacking an 89-year-old woman as she sat on the front stoop of her Brooklyn home.
A man in his 20s, dressed in a red sweatshirt, approached Barije Mati at about 3:45 p.m. Saturday in Kensington and began talking to her, police said.
The man then grabbed the victim's leg before she yelled at him and tried to go inside her home, the woman's son, Luftim Mati, told 1010 WINS' Kevin Rincon.
Police Looking For Suspect In Brooklyn Attack On 88-Year-Old Woman
"My mother got up, and he got mad," Luftim Mati said. "As he got mad, he grabbed the chair. He threw the chair. Then he pushed my mother."
After, she was dragged into her apartment, where the suspect lay on top of her and tried to choke her with his hoodie, police said.
Barije Mati's daughter-in-law, who lives next door, heard screams and then hit the suspect over the head with a broom, the victim's son said. The suspect fled.
The woman was treated and released from Maimonides Hospital for cuts and bruises. She was back sitting outside her home Monday night, CBS 2's Jessica Schneider reported.
"I feel good about it," Luftim Mati said. "I don't want her to be imprisoned just because what happened. So she wanted to come out, and I said, 'Yeah, let's go outside.'"
Barije Mati has lived in the neighborhood for about 40 years after moving from Albania. She is beloved by the people on her block, who are outraged by the attack.
"We're looking to her like she's part of family," said neighbor Ana Rofali.
Police have released a surveillance image of the suspect and are looking for any information leading to the man's arrest. They describe him as Hispanic, 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing about 140 pounds.
People in the neighborhood say he may live nearby and may have attacked another woman earlier in the day.
"The guy's sick," Luftim Mati said. "Definitely sick. Old lady, to grab her like that? Of course, the guy, something's wrong with him."
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the attack to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-8477 or to submit a tip online at NYPDCrimeStoppers.com.
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