The NYPD arrested a man who assaulted a man and woman on a Jackson Heights street earlier this month.
Fabricio Pozo,50, of East Elmhurst was arrested on April 21 after punching and slapping two strangers on the same day as they were walking along 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights.
On April 12, Pozo approached an 18-year-old woman at 86-12 37th Ave. at 12:50 p.m. and slapped the left side of her face, police said. The victim refused medical attention.
At 1:05 p.m., Pozo approached an 85-year-old man and punched him in the left side of his face. The victim suffered redness, swelling, bruising and a small laceration to his face and was transported to Elmhurst Hospital in stable condition.
Police say Pozo did not know the suspects before attacking them. According to DNAinfo, who interviewed 85-year-old William Seifert, Pozo asked him if he was American and when he answered yes Pozo argued that he was “hurting immigrants.”
“I thought it was an innocent question, and I said, ‘Yes,'” Seifert told DNAinfo. “One punch was enough, I went down right away.”
Seifert said he had an orbital fracture in his left eye and his prescription sunglasses were broken as a result.
Police could not confirm the exchange between Seifert and Pozo but a spokesperson did say the perpetrator has two prior arrests for assault and harassment. Officers were able to locate him at his home because of the prior arrests that occurred in August 2016.
Pozo was charged with two counts of assault and two counts of harassment.
