East Elm. Man Charged In Brutal Assault
An East Elmhurst man was charged on Sunday, Apr. 14, with repeatedly hitting a 16-year-old Astoria girl in the head with a brick and leaving her critically injured last Tuesday night, Apr. 9, law enforcement sources said.
The suspect was identified by Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown as Omer Khogali, 17, of 81st Street, who was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Sunday on the charges of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Khogali was ordered held without bail by Queens Criminal Court Judge Laura Ward and to return to court on Apr. 29. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years behind bars.
“[Khogali] is accused of a particularly vicious and brutal assault that has left a young girl clinging to life,” Brown said in a statement. “This case will be vigorously prosecuted.”
According to the charges, Khogali struck the 16-year-old Astoria girl multiple times with a brick at 10:45 p.m. last Tuesday near a home on 43rd Street in Astoria.
After striking the victim, authorities said, Khogali fled from the scene with the brick.
Surveillance video footage obtained by police later reportedly show Khogali dropping an object near the intersection of 43rd Street and 23rd Avenue. Police recovered from the location a brick with blood stains.
Prior to the incident, it is alleged, Khogali was allegedly observed walking up to several vehicles in the area and pulling on car door handles. According to the complaint, he heard somebody scream, and that Khogali hit that person with a brick to keep the individual quiet.
The investigation was conducted by detectives assigned to the 114th Precinct Detective Squad.
Assistant District Attorney Maria Fedor of the DA’s Kew Gardens II Trial Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Daniel M. Sullivan, bureau chief, and Mark Osnowitz and Jennifer L. Naiburg, deputy bureau chiefs, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Trials James C. Quinn and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Trials Robert J. Masters.
It was noted that a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
