Man is arrested in kicking of an elderly woman on a subway as bystanders shot video

Article via CNN

A man who was filmed kicking a 78-year-old woman repeatedly on the subway in New York has been arrested and charged with assault, police said.

Video of the attack on a Bronx subway car has been widely shared online. It showed a tall man in glasses, a dark jacket and a knit cap forcefully kicking the woman while she was aboard a train. Bystanders recording video of the attack yelled “ooohh, ahhhh, naahh” as the man hit the woman, but they did not intervene to stop him. It’s unclear what happened before the attack or whether the two know each other. After the attack, the woman appeared to wipe away tears as she quietly sat in a corner with cell phone cameras pointed at her. As the man walked past bystanders and off the train, he shouted “WorldStar that!” a reference to a popular site that posts videos of people involved in altercations, among other things.

Police identified the suspect as Marc Gomez, 36, of Yonkers. He was arrested Saturday in Manhattan and charged with multiple counts of assault and harassment,the NYPD said in a statement.

The law firm for Steven Mechanic, the man listed as the suspect’s attorney, declined to comment when reached by CNN.

The attack happened on March 10 after 3 a.m., but the video did not surface until recently. After the incident, the woman rode the train one more northbound stop and was met by EMS when she exited the train, the NYPD said in a statement. It said she suffered from bleeding and swelling with cuts to the face. She was treated and released from the hospital and is getting the care, advocacy and support she needs, NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot F. Shea said.