An elderly man was the victim of a brutal attack in a Brooklyn apartment block on Friday—and the incident was streamed live on Facebook.
According to the NYPD, the 62-year-old victim got into an argument with the suspect while he was in the lobby of a building on Tompkins Avenue in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighbourhood, ABC 13 reported.
But things quickly turned violent and the suspect began attacking the man, landing several punches, stomping on his head and even spitting on him. A bystander tried to intervene but was not able to stop the suspect from hurting the victim.
The attack was streamed by an unknown person on Facebook Live. In the video, someone can be heard laughing in the background while it takes place.
After the assault, the man was rushed to the nearby Woodhull Hospital where doctors found that he had been left with a broken nose and eye socket, NBC 4 New York reported.
The NYPD say they know the suspect—identifying him as 31-year-old Laytee Knox Hundley—and are currently conducting a search for him.
On Twitter, NYPD Chief of Detectives, Dermot Shea wrote: “Brutal attack on an elderly male. Our communities will not stand for this and neither will the NYPD.”
Hundley has been arrested twice before, for crimes including robbery, according to police.
The NYPD are urging anyone with information about Hundley to call 1-800-577-TIPS anonymously or to message one of the department’s official social media accounts.
A reward of up to $2,500 is available for anyone who provides information regarding the case.
The assault is not the only recent crime to have been streamed live on Facebook. Earlier this week, a Louisiana man pleaded guilty to murdering his ex-girlfriend during an altercation which was broadcast on the social media platform.
Jonathan Robinson, 36, had taken Rannita Williams hostage at her home in Shreveport, armed with a rifle. The mother-of-three took to Facebook in a desperate plea for help, however, the video ends with shots being fired.
In the clip Robinson can be heard saying: “You wanna be famous? I’m gonna make you famous. Everybody wanna be famous, let’s be famous today.”