Jamal McIlwain, 28, seemingly targeted the youngster out of nowhere at around 7:30 am on November 17, sprinting towards him and walloping him with a single crutch several times before calmly walking away.
He was taken by police on November 23 after a 911 call reported a "disorderly male" outside a school. He reportedly spat at one of the responding officers.
He was recognized as the suspect in the crutch attacker after being arrested and was subsequently charged with assault, acting in a manner injurious to a child, and menacing.
Authorities said that McIlwain had picked up the crutch on the street, possibly from the trash, and was walking with it mid-block when he caught sight of his random target.
After the brutal assault, the suspect walks away while yelling something incomprehensible. He can be seen ditching the weapon at the end of the video.
The crutch appears to be bent as the suspect is walking away.
"It's weird how he ran across the street just to hit me," the youngster said of the unprovoked and random attack. "When he hit me, it took me a few seconds to process what was going on. I tried to block it with this arm and ran."
The victim was taken to an urgent care center with minor injuries.
"I'm feeling better than a few days ago when I got hit, the eye used to be swollen very much," the boy, who has not been unidentified, told WPIX on Wednesday. "I didn't do anything to him, so how come he has a grudge against me?"
Join and support independent free thinkers!
We’re independent and can’t be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.
Remind me next month
To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy