MANHATTAN CRIMINAL COURT— A 43-year-old man admitted brutally attacking a Spanish tourist in City Hall Park Monday, bashing him at least 10 times with a hammer as the pair sat next to each other on a bench, according to court documents.
John Yoos, 43, admitted during a videotaped confession to repeatedly striking tourist Hugo Alejandre, 31, with the claw side of the hammer as the unsuspecting Spaniard and his girlfriend ate lunch on a park bench Monday afternoon, prosecutors said.
Yoos — who was dressed in a blue suit — suddenly pulled out a hammer and without provocation continued to beat Alejandre "over and over again" as the Spaniard fell to the ground, prosecutors said. Good Samaritans were eventually able to wrestle Yoos to the ground and held him there until he was hauled away by cops.
Yoos allegedly callied Alejandre a "Nazi motherf---er" and screaming and screamed epithets about Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Nazis, as he viciously beat him, according to published reports.
Yoos was arraigned Tuesday on second degree attempted murder, as well as assault and criminal weapons possession.
Alejandre walked into the District Attorney's office Tuesday after having been released from Bellevue. He suffered deep head wounds as well as other injuries, prosecutors said.
"This was a completely random act of brutal violence on a total stranger," said Assistant District Attorney Allison Altman during Yoos's arraignment Tuesday.
Yoos, who wore the same navy blue suit he wore during Monday's attack, said nothing during the hearing. His defense attorney, public defender Alyssa Gamliel, offered no explanation for the unprovoked and bizarre attack.
Yoos was ordered held with out bail and is due back in court on Aug. 3.
