FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, May 5, 2025
Bronx Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Brutal Beating of Elderly Man
Defendant Repeatedly Attacked 67-Year-Old Who Tried to
Protect Woman From Harassment in East New York
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced today that a 30-year-old Bronx man has been sentenced to seven years in prison following his conviction for violently attacking an elderly man who intervened to stop the defendant from harassing a woman in East New York.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This was a vicious and senseless assault on a senior citizen who stepped in to defend a woman in need. The defendant had multiple opportunities to walk away, but instead chose to return again and again to inflict serious, lasting injuries. Today’s sentence holds him accountable and reinforces that this kind of wanton violence has no place in Brooklyn.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Ryan Lawrence, 30, of the Bronx. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Adam Perlmutter to seven years in prison. The defendant was convicted of second-degree assault on April 2, 2025, following a jury trial.
The District Attorney said that, according to the evidence, on July 22, 2023, at approximately 4 a.m., the defendant, holding a weapon, approached a homeless woman who was sleeping outside a building on Liberty Avenue. After she pushed him away, the defendant briefly walked off, but soon returned and again advanced toward her.
A 67-year-old man who witnessed the encounter from his nearby apartment came outside to intervene and followed the defendant to the corner of Liberty Avenue and Fountain Avenue. The man threw a single punch, which the defendant dodged. The defendant then punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground, and launched a prolonged and brutal assault.
As the victim lay on the ground, the defendant grabbed his shirt and threw him down again. Throughout the attack, the defendant punched the victim in the face at least 11 times, kicked him in the face at least eight times and stomped on his head. Despite efforts by bystanders to stop the attack, the defendant repeatedly returned to continue beating the victim.
The victim suffered a traumatic brain injury, facial fractures and permanent vision loss in one eye. As a result, he required extensive facial reconstructive surgery.
The defendant fled the after the assault but was arrested on November 8, 2023..
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Salvatore Prince and Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Parrish, of the District Attorney’s Red Zone Trial Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Karla Watson, Chief of the Red Zone.
#