Suspect arrested after man beaten into coma during Bronx robbery
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Bronx (WABC) -- Police have arrested a suspect who authorities say beat a man so badly that the victim is in a coma.
Police say the victim was drunk at the time, and the suspect robbed him of his gold rings and headphones around 3 a.m. Sunday.
It happened on 183rd Street near Aqueduct Avenue in the University Heights section.
The suspect was taken into custody on Friday on charges of robbery and assault.
A deli worker who called 911 said the man was lying on the ground for several minutes before anyone bothered to help him.
The video shows the suspect, later identified as 21-year-old Nilson Castillo, landing a punch so hard it shook the SUV that the two men were leaning against.
The 38-year-old victim fell to the ground, and the suspect continued to punch and kick him. Later, the man returned and kicked the victim again.
The deli worker noticed the victim bleeding on the sidewalk. He thought he was dead when he called 911.
"He was sitting 10 minutes," Bashar Aladbi said. "Nobody called the cops. Nobody said anything. Everybody was walking up and down. So I called the cops right away...I work here on the nights, so I got to see what's going on."
The victim is in critical condition.
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