YORKVILLE — Mayor Bill de Blasio's security detail arrested an East Harlem man for randomly punching an 85-year-old man in the head at Carl Schurz Park last week, according to the NYPD.
The two plainclothes officers were on a meal break on Sunday at Gracie Mansion when they saw Edwin Suazo, 35, and recognized him from the attack last week, according to a post from the mayor's personal Twitter account.
At roughly 9:05 a.m., the officers stopped Suazo at East 90th Street and the FDR Drive footpath and arrested him.
Suazo was charged with assault for the Oct. 25 incident, when he walked up behind the victim while he was walking in Carl Schurz Park and sucker punched him, knocking him to the ground, police said.
A surveillance video released by police shows the assailant approaching the victim with his fist raised and then backing away.
The victim suffered cuts to the back of his head and above his right eye, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital.
Police said he has seven prior arrests but could not immediately provide further information.
Suazo had not been arraigned as of Monday morning.
De Blasio thanked the two officers who made the arrest on Twitter:
Thank you Det. Carter & Ofc. Barker. Exceptional work. Identified and arrested man wanted for assaulting a senior - all on their meal break! pic.twitter.com/vl8kuugwsI
— Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) October 30, 2016
