Brooklyn, NY – Two Arrested In Late Night Attack On Yeshiva Student In Crown Heights

Brooklyn, Ny – Two Brooklyn men are under arrest charged in an early morning attack on a yeshiva student in Crown Heights.

19 year old Justin George of Brownsville and 20 year old Darren Morgan of Prospect Lefferts Heights were arrested and charged with robbery in the second degree, resisting arrest, obstruction of governmental administration, criminal possession of a weapon and disorderly conduct.

Police said that the 22 year old victim was walking down President Street just after midnight holding a newly purchased and wrapped charity box in his hands when he was approached by the two individuals who punched him in his face and took the charity box.

Mendy Hershkop of Crown Heights Shomrim said that the victim, who is from Israel, began screaming as he was attacked by the two men, waking up a woman who looked out her window and witnessed the incident. After breaking free from his attackers, the victim ran away, passing a police cruiser as he ran to a nearby yeshiva dormitory.

“The officers said that he looked like he was terrified and they realized right away that something was amiss,” Hershkop told VIN News. “As they turned a corner, they saw two males walking away from the area and instinct told them that everything they had just seen could be related.”

Stopping to speak to the two men, police were told that they had just been involved in an attack by a Jewish man, but within moments, the woman who witnessed the attack came upon the scene and identified them as the perpetrators in the attack on the yeshiva student.

“They grabbed one of the men and got the other a block or two away,” said Hershkop. “It was a really great response by these two officers, Officer Wananu and Officer Fahad.”

While police were apprehending the two men, the yeshiva student called Shomrim and officers from the 71 Precinct quickly made the connection between the complaint that had been filed and the suspects that they had in custody.

Police said that Morgan has five prior arrests on charges including assault, menacing, grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly. George has just one prior arrest for jumping a turnstile and resisting arrest.

No assault charges were filed in the incident and police said that the incident is not being classified as a hate crime.

Video below shows one of the suspect being arrested.