A 68-year-old man viciously attacked and beaten in lower Manhattan tragically died the following day from his injuries after being transported to Bellevue Hospital.
Ruan Wen Hui, a retired garment worker, had just dropped off his grandchildren at home when the apparently random, unprovoked attack happened. Hui was a Chinese immigrant who apparently didn’t speak English.
The incident in which after a brief conversation the victim appears to be thrown against the wall and then punched and stomped occurred in NYC’s East Village in the area known as Alphabet City on Friday night at about 9 pm. See embed below. A witness to the beating called 911, although several other pedestrians walked by the severely injured man and didn’t do anything.
On Tuesday, the NYPD arrested a suspect in the attack. Multiple media accounts identify the suspect as Jamie Pugh, 20, who was charged with second-degree murder attempted robbery, and assault. He is being held without bail.
Crime Stoppers had offered a $2,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest in the brutal crime.
According to a prosecutor , “There’s significant evidence in this case, not the least of which being the video which was quite frankly one of the most horrific acts I’ve ever seen.”
The family also reportedly wants the alleged perpetrator charged with a hate crime. If convicted of the hate crime in connection with murder, the suspect could be jailed for life without parole. Said the victim’s daughter, “Our whole family is in severe and deep pain.”
The suspect’s mother claims that her son was high on Molly (that a friend slipped into his drink) at the time of the attack and has no memory of the incident.
Alphabet City, notable for Tomkins Square Park among other landmarks, gets is name from Avenues A, B, C, and D, the only avenues in Manhattan that have single-letter names.
[image credit: David Shankbone ]
