In a shocking incident, a man was arrested and charged after he punched a four-year-old boy in Times Square. Police say that the incident happened on Thursday afternoon, just before 3:30 pm on Seventh Avenue near West 46th Street.
The child’s mother, Rafaela Rivera, shared about the moments her son, Angel, was punched in the back of the head with a closed fist by a stranger. “I turn around, and the baby is screaming and crying. And I said, ‘What happened?’ My daughter said that guy right there hit him,” Rafaela said.
The 4-year old was knocked to the ground but luckily only suffered minor injuries. His 17-year-old sister, Carmen came over and confronted the suspect. “I was like, you just hit my brother, you think you’re going to get away with it?” Carmen said.
When the suspect tried to get away, Carmen says her mother and she held him down until police arrived. “I grabbed him and I fell on my back with him on top of me, and he was kicking,” Rafaela said. “You think, like, he must do it normally. Like, it’s what he does all the time,” Carmen added.
The family’s afternoon turned violent when their Little Angel was attacked. They said that it happened just after he finished a modeling audition. After the assault, talking to her son about what happened was difficult, Rafaela said. “I tell him, we have to keep our eyes open, papi, and he’s like, yeah, I know, mami. We have to look around and help each other.”
The family believed they did everything right to stay safe in the city, including taking an Uber instead of taking the subway.
This is not the first time that Bbacar Mbaye has been in trouble with law enforcement. The 34-year old suspect has had 33 prior arrests including two recent assaults. “I don’t think that he should even be out,” Rafaela Rivera said.
Mbaye is due back in court Wednesday. The charges against him include assault, resisting arrest, and endangering the welfare of a child.
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