Robber Who Punched 81-Year-Old Arrested, Police Say

WEST VILLAGE, NY — Officers arrested a man on Thursday after he repeatedly pummeled an 81-year-old old woman in the West Village in October, police said.

Officers arrested Leroy Wright this week and charged him with robbery and assault, according to the NYPD. Authorities captured Wright, 59, attacking the woman in shocking surveillance footage.

The video shows the woman in the lobby of her West Village apartment building on Oct. 20 being followed by Wright, police say. Once inside the building, located near West 13th Street and Seventh Avenue, Wright punches the woman in the head at least four times until she falls to the ground, the video shows. He then takes the woman's bag and leaves the building. Police say the attack happened at about 6:50 p.m.

Barbara Davison was identified by the New York Daily News as the victim of the assault. The actress told the Daily News that refused medical attention and that she was glad the assault was caught on tape. She said her neighbors heard her in the hallway and immediately helped her off the ground and called police.
"New Yorkers are great," Davison told the Daily News. "New Yorkers are absolutely great. They come around. They're there."

You can watching the shocking footage here:

Patch was not immediately able to contact Wright's attorney because he hadn't yet been arraigned.

Image credit: NYPD