Brooklyn bodega owner brutally attacked by four suspects
A New York City bodega owner was beaten and rushed to the hospital, Saturday, after four men attacked him and another worker. (WNYW)
The New York Police Department is investigating a possible hate crime after a Brooklyn bodega owner was brutally beaten by four men in a caught-on-video attack.
Jamal Sawaid, who is originally from Yemen, said he and a store worker were attacked inside a store on Mermaid Avenue in the Coney Island neighborhood at around 2:20 p.m. Saturday, police said.
Sawaid, 58, who has owned the bodega for 23 years, claims he had never seen the men before until that day.
The store's surveillance camera caught the attack that afternoon. The video shows one man jump over the counter and clobber Sawaid in the head with a metal pipe, while another shoves the other bodega worker to the floor.
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Surveillance video shows four men attacking a Brooklyn bodega owner and another worker around 2:20 P.M. on April 15, 2023. (Fox 5 NY, WNYW)
"He hit me straight up, with a baton bar, you know, back to back with a metal stick," Sawaid told Fox 5 New York. "He jumped onto the counter, and he blocked me. You know when you get hit in the head, you cannot fight. You cannot do anything."
A third man picked up a case on the counter and threw it at the store owner, as the beating continued.
After the attack, the four suspects ran away and escaped in a white pickup truck, according to police. Police said the crime was "unprovoked" and that the four men were shouting out racial slurs before they attacked Sawaid and the other employee.
Sawaid called 911 and was sent immediately to the hospital. During his time of recovery, Sawaid was left with a swollen eye and eight staples in his head.
Jamal Sawaid returned to work the following Monday after the attack. (Fox 5 NY, WNYW)
Just two days after the violent attack took place, the bodega owner returned to work the following Monday.
"I have to survive," he explained. "If you stay home, who's going to pay your bills?"
The NYPD told Fox News Digital there were no updates on the case Wednesday. The search for the four suspects continues, while the attack is being investigated by the NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force.
NYPD Crime Stoppers sent out a tweet, alerting that anyone who has any information on the four suspects should contact 800-577-TIPS or crimestoppers.nypdoline.org, offering up to a $3,5000 reward.
Crime has been a growing concern among residents in the Big Apple, and has come into focus this week due to a congressional hearing.
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Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing titled, "Victims of Violent Crime in Manhattan," Monday morning, about New York City's crime spike. The hearing covered Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's policies and how crime has been dealt with in the city.
A former NYC bodega clerk, who had second degree murder charges dropped against him after he stabbed a man in self-defense, was one of the witnesses in Monday's hearing to testify about DA Bragg's policies and the increase in crime the city has been facing.
Fox News' Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
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