By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — A Harlem man who was arrested in connection to the death of his sickly mother was released and will not be prosecuted immediately, a law enforcement source said Monday.
Police arrested Leonard Arzu, 45, on an assault charge Sunday, claiming he threw his 63-year-old mother, Betty, to the ground during a dispute at the 480 St. Nicholas Ave. apartment they shared.
But without autopsy results, the District Attorney's office was lacking the evidence to stand up an assault charge or anything more serious, the source said.
"In the ME's initial look at it, it did not seem like it's going to be ruled a homicide," the source added.
Arzu, who reportedly has a history of drug and assault arrests, was released Monday afternoon.
His mother, who apparently suffered several illnesses, was pronounced dead at Harlem Hospital shortly after, police and sources said.
She was picked up by EMS on a complaint she had difficulty breathing.
The investigation is open and Arzu may face charges if the coroner concludes there was trauma inflicted upon his mother.
The medical examiner's office did not immediately return a call for comment.
