The 22-year-old who punched a man, 37, in the Bronx and then took photos has blamed the victim, according to police statements.
Luis Rivera claimed that Fernando Levano had been yelling at him right before he pummeled him in the head on June 18 in University Heights.
‘The guy was yelling and I was like, “I don’t even know you,” ‘ Rivera stated, as reported in the criminal complaint obtained by the New York Daily News. ‘He came back and I was like “That’s how it’s going to be?” But he just kept going.’
Luis Rivera (center) claimed that Fernando Levano had been yelling at him right before he pummeled him in the head on June 18 in University Heights
Rivera claims his anger got the best of him and he simply reacted.
He added: ‘I just hit him. I was angry. The guy was laid out. I took some pictures on someone else’s phone. I know I f—– up very bad.’
Rivera was taken into custody on Thursday, three days after police say he knocked out another man.
Fernando Levano, 37, was crossing the street Monday morning in the University Heights section of the Bronx when two men approached him. One of the assailants punched Levano in the head knocking the man to the ground.
Fernando Levano, 37, was crossing the street Monday morning in the University Heights section of the Bronx when two men approached him, and one knocked him unconscious
Family members said the father-of-three remains unconscious and has bleeding on his brain
Levano, who works for a company that manufactures hospital supplies, was knocked unconscious when he hit his head on the pavement.
The two thugs smiled and then left the scene.
A short moment later, three other men walk up to a still-unconscious Levano and rummage through his pockets taking his cellphone and ID, according to the NYPD. They also leave the scene.
The man who punched Levano returns to the scene and appears to take either photos or video of the victim.
At one point, he took a closeup of the victim’s head, the New York Post reports.
Police say the man who punched Levano and then snapped photos is Rivera. He’s been charged with assault. It’s unclear if he knew the victim.
Police identified the man who punched Levano as 22-year-old Luis Rivera. He’s been charged with assault
On Monday morning, Rivera and another man approached Levano as he was crossing the street. Police say Rivera punched the victim, knocking him unconscious
Three other men approached a still-unconscious Levano and stole his ID and cellphone
Levano was taken to St. Barnabus hospital via EMS, for a fractured skull. Family members told ABC that the father-of-three is still unconscious and has bleeding on his brain.
A photo of Levano from his hospital bed shows him with tubes in his mouth and another one draining the blood from a hemorrhage on his brain. His face also appears to be swollen.
‘It’s not OK, that’s not cool, he’s just laying down on the floor, you could at least let him keep his things but they robbed him and that’s not cool, man,’ his brother Caesar Zuniga told ABC.