Man accused of brutally beating Queens deli worker unconscious
QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) --- A man is accused of brutally beating a Queens deli worker unconscious during a caught-on-camera attack earlier this month, prosecutors said.
Osvel Diaz, 29, was arraigned on attempted murder charges for allegedly attacking the 62-year-old worker, Abdul Alshawish, in the Sunnyside Mini Mart at 63-20 Broadway at 11:17 p.m. on June 17, authorities said.
Diaz was seen on surveillance video repeatedly kicking and punching Alshawish in the face and body to the point where he was unconscious. He then allegedly kept kicking the motionless victim in the head and face, prosecutors said.
Alshawish is still in the hospital recovering from a brain hemorrhage, facial fractures, a mid-face separation, and a fractured eye socket, nose, and sinuses.
Diaz was arrested Wednesday and night and charged with attempted murder and assault. The Forest Hills resident pled not guilty and was held without bail at his arraignment.
"Business owners and their workers should never have to fear that they will be the targets of violence," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement.
In separate incidents, Diaz is accused of spray-painting the side of a Queens florist and a private home in Woodside back in January, accoridng to the district attorney's office. He was charged with criminal mischief. Diaz pled not guilty in the vandalism incidents.
His attorney could not immediately be reached Friday.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.