HELL'S KITCHEN — A group of attackers punched a man while using racial slurs and then robbed a witness who tried to help the victim, police said.
A 23-year-old Manhattan resident was walking near the northeast corner of West 48th Street and 11th Avenue around 3:45 a.m. on Feb. 13 when four or five men he didn’t know came up to him and punched him in the face, leaving him with cuts, bruises and swelling, the NYPD said.
One of the attackers, who left the victim with a cut on his right hand, used racial slurs as the group attacked him, police said. It was not clear what the attacker said to the victim.
A 46-year-old Queens resident who witnessed the attack tried to intervene, but the men turned on him and took his $500 Samsung phone, the NYPD said.
One of the attackers also displayed a “shield” and claimed he was a police officer before fleeing the scene with his accomplices, the witness told police.
Police did not say whether the first victim was treated for his injuries. An investigation is ongoing.
