Greenpoint street attack leads to three-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Bushwick man

October 22, 2024 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor
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A Brooklyn man has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for slashing a stranger and assaulting a bystander who tried to intervene during a random attack in Greenpoint, prosecutors announced on Monday.

Michael Ruiz, 46, of Bushwick, was convicted of second-degree assault and third-degree attempted assault after a jury trial in August. Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Laura Johnson handed down the sentence, which includes three years of post-release supervision. Prosecutors had sought a five-year prison term.

“Keeping the people of Brooklyn safe is my highest priority, and violent offenders such as this defendant will face serious consequences,” District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. “Today’s sentence holds him accountable for a random and vicious assault.”

Berry Street, pictured here running along the north side of McCarren Park in Greenpoint, was the site of a violent knife assault in June 2022. The attacker, who slashed a stranger and assaulted a bystander, was recently sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for the unprovoked attack. Screenshot via Google Street View
Berry Street, pictured here running along the north side of McCarren Park in Greenpoint, was the site of a violent knife assault in June 2022. The attacker, who slashed a stranger and assaulted a bystander, was recently sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for the unprovoked attack. Screenshot via Google Street View

According to trial evidence, the attack occurred on June 28, 2022, at approximately 2:15 a.m. The victim, a 39-year-old man, was talking on the phone outside his apartment on Berry Street when Ruiz approached him and declared, “I own this block,” before threatening to kill him. Ruiz briefly left the scene, retrieved a knife from his car, and resumed his threats.

A bystander who attempted to defuse the situation was punched in the face by Ruiz. The defendant then focused his attention back on the original victim, kicking him to the ground, repeatedly striking his face, and slashing his arm with the knife.

The victim suffered a fractured orbital bone and required approximately 15 stitches for a deep laceration on his arm. The brutal assault was captured on surveillance video, leading to Ruiz’s arrest in October 2022.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Sanam Shah and Assistant District Attorney Alexander John Davis, both from the Grey Zone Trial Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Courtney Hogg and Bureau Chief Robert Walsh.





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