Barry
Baldwin, a Brooklyn resident, was charged with six counts of assault as
a hate crime, six counts of aggravated harassment as a hate crime, and
other crimes for a spate of attacks between November 9 and December 27
in predominantly Jewish sections of Brooklyn, police said.
On
November 9, Baldwin allegedly punched a 78-year-old woman who was
pushing a stroller -- apparently as part of the "knockout" assault game,
where people try to knock a random stranger unconscious with a single
blow. The victim was knocked to the ground.
On December 7, he allegedly struck again, punching a 20-year-old woman in the back of the head in Brooklyn.
Between December 21 and
December 27, Baldwin allegedly assaulted five more women, including a
33-year-old woman who was walking with her young daughter and another
78-year-old woman.
After
the attack on the woman walking with her 7-year-old daughter in the
Midwood section of Brooklyn, police released a sketch of the suspect.
The mother was punched in the back of the head and knocked down, police
said. She sustained minor injuries to her knees and hands. The suspect
fled on foot.
Baldwin
was arrested December 29 by hate crimes detectives canvassing the
neighborhoods where the previous attacks occurred, police said. He was
charged after witnesses identified him in a police lineup.
At
least nine suspected "knockout" attacks have been reported since
October in New York, but police have said they see no evidence of a
trend.
Authorities have reported similar incidents in New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri and Washington.
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