Man Placed In Chokehold, Robbed In The Bronx
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police are searching for two suspects who put a chokehold on a man and then robbed him on Saturday morning in the Bronx.
Apolinar Pimentel escaped with a black eye, a swollen face, and cuts and scratches on his leg and arms.
The 49-year-old told CBS2's Cindy Hsu on Wednesday he's glad to be alive.
"You know, you have a life one minute and another minute you have no life. That's a problem," Pimentel said.
Police released surveillance video of the attack that shows Pimentel walking when a man in a black hoodie comes from behind and uses a chokehold to get him to the ground. A second suspect, wearing a gray hoodie, then runs in and grabs for Pimentel's cellphone and wallet. All along, the victim is being punched repeatedly.
When asked if he was grabbed around the throat, Pimentel said, "Yes, he took me over here and on the floor and (punching) and my face and everything and my knees."
The attacked happened at around 5:30 a.m. on Cambreleng Avenue near Arthur Avenue. Pimentel was heading to work as a restaurant cook.
He came from Mexico 35 years ago and has two teenage daughters. His wife said she couldn't believe he'd been beaten so badly.
"I see the face and everything. Oh my God, what happened?" Heriberta Bermejo said.
The entire scary incident took place front of Joseph Clarke's building.
"I was completely shocked," Clarke said, adding when asked about surveillance cameras, "We have cameras on the entire block because I own and manage five buildings on this block. So all my tenants know that everything is always under surveillance."
Cameras caught very clear images of the suspects sitting across the street on a stoop prior to the assault.
Pimentel and his wife are hoping someone will recognize them. One was described as a black man, 15 to 18 years old and the other a Hispanic man, 18 to 25, with his hair in a ponytail. In addition to his gray hoodie, he was last seen wearing a light colored pants and black sneakers.
Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-700-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via the Crime Stoppers website, or by texting a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.
