Woman Arrested For Allegedly Beating 71-Year-Old With Her Cane After Argument

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police have arrested a suspect in connection to the alleged beating of an elderly woman with her own cane.

The 71-year-old victim was waiting for an elevator at the Q subway station on 86th Street and Second Avenue around 2 p.m. Monday when she was pushed aside by a woman in her late 20s with her young son, police said.

Once they were all in the elevator, the victim lectured the young mother about manners, 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported.

"Maybe you should teach your child to wait till people come off the elevator, instead of trying to get in," the victim allegedly said.

As CBS2's Andrea Grymes reported, the advice was not well received.

That's when the woman allegedly pushed, punched, and grabbed the victim's cane, hitting her with it before walking away, police said.

24-year-old Breonna Turk of Manhattan has been arrested and charged with second degree assault.

People in the neighborhood were shocked.

"That was very wrong of her cause that could be your grandmother or your mother," one woman said. "Just take it and run with it, just keep moving."

"We live in New York, anything can happen," another woman said. "People that just can't take criticism. That's what he's learning. She's teaching him that."

"She took the cane from the other lady and then hit her, that's a little crazy, you don't ever do nothing like that. Once you get physical you took it too far," one man said.

"Society today is ruined," another man said. "I don't find it surprising. In this city everything happens, you would've told me it happened somewhere else maybe but in New York City it's normal life. People have no respect. My wife rides the train every morning, she's pregnant and nobody gets up for her to sit down."

But there was also mixed reaction to the unsolicited advice.

"I probably would say something like be careful or something like that," one rider said.

"I would absolutely be offended. That would be an awful thing to say, but she kind of had a point. You really shouldn't teach your kid to do that. You should teach your child patience," a woman with a child said.

The victim was not seriously hurt and refused medical attention at the scene.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or for Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.