Last Friday, January 25th, a young man launched an unprovoked attack on an older US Navy veteran in New York. The incident was caught on camera, and very quickly went viral after being posted on Facebook Live.
"Brutal attack on an elderly male. Our communities will not stand for this and neither will the #NYPD @NYPDHousing @NYCHA," NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Sheet wrote on Twitter. "See him? call 911. Know him and his current whereabouts? Call @NYPDTips 800-577-TIPS (8477) #Brooklyn #YourCityYourCall #sharedresponsibility @NYPD79Pct."
The victim was identified as Wilfredo Arce, a 62-year-old pensioner. He suffered a broken nose and eye socket from the incident, which saw his assailant repeatedly kick him in the face.
The attacker has now been identified as Lytee Knox Hundley, a 31-year-old who handed himself in this weekend.
The video of the incident has since been removed from Facebook, but NYPD shared screenshots of the attack in order to appeal for help from witnesses.
It's not exactly clear what caused the altercation, but, at the beginning of the video, Hundley can be heard asking a woman in the apartment building, "Did this man come in right here, yes or no?"
After the woman replied "yes", Hundley responded: "Say no more," then attacked the vet.
He slammed into him, knocking him to the ground, then proceeded to pummel him while he was down. While this was happening, other bystanders can be heard laughing in the background.
The police appeal garnered strong reactions on social media, too.
"Truly disgusted by this assault on an elderly man," wrote one person. "Hope you guys find him soon and if a beat down (oops he fell) happens then so be it. No elderly person should be assaulted, recorded and laughed at. Hope you catch the person who put it on Facebook too!"
"Disgusting! What the hell is going on with people?" added another. "I hope this man is caught quickly and locked up for a looooong time. My prayers to the victims and his family. [sic]"
A third proposed a solution: "We need more police officers on streets attacking crews of guys hanging out on corners inside building [sic] and driving around let’s end all these criminals it’s simple: bring back the STOP and frisk harsh laws on these dum criminals but when they go to jail crying."
Hundley has two prior arrests, including robbery. He has been charged with two counts of assault.