April 10, 2020 By Michael Dorgan
Council Member Peter Koo was attacked by three teens as part of a botched robbery attempt outside his Flushing apartment building at around 9 p.m. last night, according to the NYPD.
Koo, 67, who doesn’t believe the attack was racially motivated, issued a statement today providing further details of the incident.
The council member said that he was struck from behind in the side of the head by one of the assailants as he entered the lobby of his downtown building on 41st Avenue. He said words were exchanged and when he took out his phone to call 911 the suspects tried to steal it.
Koo, who was uninjured by the suspects, held on to the phone and screamed at the muggers at which time they fled. He then spoke to the police.
The teens, according to police, went on to rob another man in front of 42-20 Kissena Blvd about five minutes later, before entering Kissena Park.
The police moved fast and nabbed two of the three suspects a short time later. The suspects were known to the police.
Koo, as part of his statement, thanked the NYPD for their swift action but noted how his experience was frightening.
“I maintained my composure to the best of my ability and contacted police immediately with the descriptions and the direction they were heading,” his statement read.
“For this reason, authorities were able to track them down in short time,” he said.
He asked the public to remain vigilant and to support law enforcement so that they have the resources to protect local communities.
Last night, after returning from a walk, three masked men assaulted me and tried to steal my phone in the lobby of my building. I screamed at them and didn’t give them anything until they ran off. The @NYPD109Pct tracked them down in short time trying to rob another person nearby
— Peter Koo (@CMPeterKoo) April 10, 2020
7 Comments
Peter Koo voted to close Rikers and supports laws that are letting criminals go free, throwing tax money on criminals. OK that Koo was unharmed, but there are countless victims that are left to suffer physically, emotionally and financially with hospital bills from assaults they endured. There are no justice reforms for the victims!!! There is no concern from politicians like Koo for public safety, if there was they would focus more on improving quality of life for law abiding citizens and not spending billions on borough jails! Yeah there will be enough space for criminals to respect social distancing in the new borough high rise jails during pandemics.
The police knew them but there still should have been pictures of them. Dump them in a hospital with no mask or any protection. If the court system won’t get them off the streets then maybe a virus will. It wouldn’t be a loss to society.
Councilman Koo lives on long island and not in his district…this story sounds really fishy…maybe he was there to attend a poker game coz he was bored with the lock-down…
Mr. Koo believed it wasn’t a racial motivated but I believe & many readers will believe the 3 thugs were
Very sad that this happened. Hope that the other so called progressive council members like Donovan Richards or E. Crowley, Corey Johnson, Ayala, Dromm, Steve Levin, Margaret Chin understand that the laws they are pushing for criminals and the closing of Rikers will start affecting them just like it’s affecting us regular law abiding residents. This “progressive” council members who do not support the laws and constantly supporting criminals should be voted out!
“The suspects were known to the police”??? I feel bad for the police. They catch them and the system releases them with chocolate bars, movie tickets, mta cards and what not..
What an unarmed citizen supposed to do when the police is not there to protect? We need gun stores in NYC.