Two of the five men seen in a cellphone video showing the attack of a street vendor, have been arrested and charged for involvement in a brutal beating of an immigrant street vendor.
Enrique Foote, 18, and Octavious Profit, 24, both of the Bronx, were brought before Bronx Supreme Court Justice George Villegas. They have both have first and second-degree counts of Gang Assault and second and third-degree counts of Assault and Petit Larceny.
The attack took place on May 2, 2017. The investigation allegedly reports street vendor Souleymane Porgo, 53, caught a man attempting to steal something off his table. The man returned it then threatened Porgo. Later on, five men came and attacked Porgo, furiously beating him past unconsciousness.
The victim was in a coma and had surgery for swelling and bleeding in the brain along with several bone fractures in his face. Porgo has been a street vendor for ten years in the area. Fellow vendors of the neighborhood have set up a crowdfunding page to help raise funds for his medical expenses and his family.
A third suspect, William Burgess, 21, turned himself in on May 9. Profit turned himself in as well, he had a previous conviction of attempted weapon possession from 2011 for which he served time in state prison. Foote was arraigned after being found in Pennsylvania.
In the case that the men are convicted of the first-degree charge, they potentially face up to 25 years in state jail.
All persons are assumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Tags: Bronx, Assault, Gang Violence
Photo: Curtesy of NYPD
