BROWNSVILLE — A 43-year-old Brownsville father of eight died of a heart attack Thursday morning after police questioned his son for a nearby assault and cellphone robbery, officials said.
The man, who neighbors identified as Carlos Alcis, collapsed at his apartment at 379 Rockaway Parkway after police finished questioning his son during an investigation into the thief, according to the NYPD.
"He was a very good guy," said family friend Alphonse Maignan. "He is a family man. He had [eight] kids."
A neighbor said he heard a scream about 9:30 a.m. and went into the hallway to find police trying to save Alcis.
"The cops took the guy out who had a heart attack and gave him CPR for 30 minutes," said Jacques Jean-Pierre.
The chain of events started when the robber approached a 21-year-old woman on Kings Highway, punched her in the face and stole her iPhone, police said.
The suspect was then seen fleeing into 379 Rockaway Parkway.
Officers followed him into the building and that's when they started knocking on doors, the NYPD said. They got to the rear apartment in the basement of the building and Alcis let them in, according to cops.
The father consented to having his son questioned and the robbery victim then said he wasn't the guy, police said.
Alcis' family told WABC that police broke their door and then raided the apartment.
Police denied they pushed their way into the residence.
Alcis was pronounced dead at the scene.
