Posted to Crime on

Drunk Man Assaults Kingston Shop Owner

An intoxicated man who was acting rowdy and belligerent on Kingston Avenue assaulted two shop owners when they attempted to calm him down. One man, well known community activist Reb Yisroel Shemtov, was punched in the face and suffered serious injuries.

The incident began at around 5:30pm on Kingston Avenue near Crown Street. The suspect, a black man in his late 20’s or early 30’s, was walking up the block and menacing passersby. Obviously drunk he quickly escalated from words to actions when he kicked over a gumball machine in front First Quality paper goods.

Yisroel Shemtov and Regency Drycleaners owner Dovid Teich approached the man and attempted to reason with him when he suddenly punched Shemtov in the face then turning his rage on Teich and punching him as well and attempted to flee.

After witnessing the commotion shop owners, passersby’s, and a Shomrim volunteer sprang into action, immediately calling for backup and police assistance while grabbing the assailant and attempting to restrain him as he violently resisted.

As more Shomrim volunteers arrived on scene they quickly employed their training, safely and successfully subduing the suspect until police arrived and promptly arrested the man.

In the meantime, Hatzalah volunteers arrived and treated R’ Shemtov for his injuries, then transported him to the hospital for further treatment. The other victim declined medical attention.

Police arrived at the scene and took the suspect into custody. The man was found to be heavily intoxicated, and a bottle of liquor was found in his possession.

As he was being led away by police, the man shouted epithets at the crowd that had gathered: “[expletive] all Jews!” he screamed, adding “I’ll be back and [expletive] you all up!”

The man was charged with felony assault.

Photos by Benjamin Lifshitz

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63 Comments

  • Ma Rabbi

    I hope he is charged with a hate crime and spends many long years in jail.

    • D

      Why not, Yehuda?? If it was a white man attacking a black man and saying f all black people it would certainly be pegged as a hate crime and there would be an uproar amongst the african american community. But no, since it’s a white rabbi getting attacked, who cares, right?

  • whooooo

    go dovid teich you really saved the day. thank you shomrim to and refurah shelamah Rabbi. Shemtov

  • Crown Heights Resident

    The Rebbe Said: That if Israel gives away land that Hashem gave them In a miraculous way during the. June 1967 SIX day war. This will put the lives of Jews all over the world in Extreme Danger

  • !?!?!

    Gd wat is happening??? Why?? Ch is supposed to be a safe place/ the rebbes shchuna??
    I hope he has a complete refuah sheleima.

    • B"H

      safe place when the russians were beating the antisemitis, now it is (we are) to forgiving (as Israel is) to be peaceful

  • we love shomrim!

    Go Mr. Teich, and his brave son! I am happy to feel safe AND clean thanks to the Teich family!

  • Fan of Rabbi Yisroel Shemtov

    I wish you a Re’Fuah Sh’Lema and a Re’Fuah K’Rova

  • boring

    he better be charged with a hate crime on top of other charges. he is lucky this wasn’t 20- 30 years ago otherwise he would probably be upside in a garbage can more dead than alive!

  • crownhightzer

    y dose it look like he is having the time of his life ,he should have bin knockt out cold

  • Sruly C

    This vicious animal should rot in prison. Please post dates of arraignment that we can all attend and boo this dog to shame.

  • refua shleima!!!

    r’ yisroel has to get better his whole life is to help other yidden!

  • Moshe

    Get gun permits and push your representatives to demand concealed carry. Criminals love soft targets.

    • Anonymous

      Agree with you Moshe. We must all do what we can to protect ourselves, even in safe neighborhoods where we live. Once criminals realize that the common man on the street could be armed then this type of behavior will cease!

  • VMS

    May Reb Yisroel Shemtov make a speedy recovery. Say Mishabeirach for him. The pictures don’t look too bad, but there could be internal injury that may only show up on x-ray/CT scan. As a minimum,. he will be sore for a couple of weeks. The perpetrator needs to spend 10-20 years in Attica for this violent crime. He will not be rehabilitated, but he will be off the street.

  • sure

    Will we ever hear a update and Lets see how fast he is charged with a hate crime for a Jew they are so fast to charge a hate crime

  • MD

    Thank you Shomrim for doing the job many people are either afraid or disinterested to do.
    Refua shleyma for Rabbi Shemtov

  • Zalmy Schapiro

    Rev Yisroel Shemtov and Dovid Teich both wonderful people reb Yisroel he should feel better for his covery injured and go from strength to strength happiness and successful and live 120 years and Dovid job well done good luck

  • mrs. m

    Why does he look happy after he has been caught? ? I hope they lock him up.

  • pepper spray!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Everybody should walk around with a can of pepper spray or mace you could buy a cheap one on Amazon.

    • Not good for THIS incident

      When someone just out of the blue hauls off and pounds you in the face without provocation and without warning, you are not going to be able to see well enough to be able to pull out your mace spray and make sure it’s facing the correct direction, etc.

      Anyway, for whatever reason, the perp didn’t leave the scene of the crime, so there was no need for mace.

      Maybe mace is good in certain other situations, but this situation would only have been made worse by using it.

    • Moshe

      In NYC, buying mace/pepper spray online is illegal.
      You can get from an official dealer though. There’s a gun store in Bensonhurst, D.F. Brothers, he should have some.

  • Tamara

    really disturbed people on this earth and they say the truth comes out when drunk this idiot should be charged to the harshest degree but probably won’t I wish the rabbi a quick speedy recovery

  • The behind the scenes

    What really took place was: Harav yisroel was in need of completing a new kapota, what was needed was the last few buttons. As is known “the best use the best”, he was on his way to bring it to Regency cleaners to add button’s. As a respectful shopkeeper Mr. Teich went out to greet reb yisroel. That is when the encounter took place.

  • Yaakov Krakow

    This kind and good man (Rabbi Yisroel Shemtov) made the kapotah for my wedding 14.5 years ago. I am absolutely furious that this event has transpired, and I hope that the perpetrator spends the next 20 years in a cage. In the merit of your saintly brother (Mendel) and father (Benzion) from heaven, and in the merit of your own coolness, I pray for your speedy recovery, Rabbi Shemtov. I wish peace and long life to Mr. Dovid Teich (whom I have never met) as well.

  • Chana Finman

    Someone should have called police before any verbal exchange. He may have been armed. Drunk or stoned he was very dangerous. I wish all injured men speedy recovery, but please, get help before you try to be reasonable with an unreasonable person.

  • Andrea Schonberger

    It’s because of incidents like this that I’m 99% against drinking any type of alcoholic beverage. Intoxicated people can’t be reasoned with and sometimes end up committing crimes–I’m relieved no one had a gun or other weapon. I’ve seen stuff that can make one’s hair stand on end and all because of alcohol. Let’s ditch the booze.

  • mordy

    They called the police too soon. They shold have smashed his hands in first and say it was in an effort to subdue him. This man wI’ll probably get off clean with a few hours of community service.

    This will continue to happen unless we respond equally.

  • NO HATE CRIME!!

    “The man was charged with felony assault.”
    THAT IT?!

    according to witnesses he was yelling “expletive* Jews” as people were walking by, before he attacked Shemtov.

    the community should NOT let this slide, we should all put pressure on the NYPD to charge him with a hate crime.

    we all remember last year, when 2 Israeli bochrim attacked a black guy and allegedly yelled n***, they were right away charged with a hate crime.

  • Pesach

    AMEN to Pepper Spray! When Little Italy was all Italian it used to be the SAFEST neighborhood in the whole USA. No filthy animal would DARE walk into that neighborhood with any brazen attitude, let alone even THINK of getting violent. If drunk, they would be dealt with SPEEDILY and FORCEFULLY and no one would wait like scared rabbits for them to do something, or try and “reason” with a hate filled irrational drunk. Jews, we need to watch out for each other, take this bull by the horns and PRE-EMPTIVELY protect each other when a real, likely probable threat starts up in our neighborhoods. I wonder if our neighborhood was all Satmar if any of them would have tried to reason with this dog?

  • Sad

    Forgiveness people, hate begets hate, anger begets anger and violence begets violence. I was taught by my Uncle the Rebbe to love one another, forgive, and pray for your enemies. Shalom

  • Love the Kingston team!

    Refuah shleima to Rabbi Shemtov and Dovid Teich! They are so Wonderful and nice to everyone. So sorry this happened to them. You risk yoursel to stop this drunk man from maybe attacking others. May Hashem bless you with a speedy recovery and you both should only encounter goodness. Love the Kingston owners and workers you showed such support and backup. Good work!!!!

  • To Yehuda

    SERIOUSLY?? This rabid animal spews expletives at & about & threatens Jews – and that’s not a hate crime? You think he was “just drunk” so it’s all OK? You are more deranged than this sicko.

  • Irwin Graulich

    This guy’s family has to receive his shirt with a big fish in it!!!

  • meir bat ayin

    rabbi shem tov how could this happen to you after so many yrs? speedy recover ,see you in hevron!

  • meir bat ayin

    r.shem tov have a complete recovery! and next time don’t lead with your nose!

  • Reuven B

    Reb Shem Tov, you have always been a mashpia for me. Both in your divrei Torah and your actions in the community. Rafuah schleima.

  • Lady D

    It’s a shame this happened! There’s no excuse for this man’s actions except him being drunk,and that’s no excuse!He should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law!

  • לירן נחום

    שיבוא לתקוף אותי אני מבטיח שהוא לא היה יוצא חי הנבלה

  • Yochanon Bogart

    Unique opportunity for the Justice Department to show some sorely needed integrity.

    Clearly and unequivocally,

    Federal Justice Department should immediately charge him with a hate crime, which everyone acknowledges would have long been done were the roles reversed!

  • Jim M.

    Glad his picture was posted. Maybe I will see him one day. We could, well, REMIND him of his offense.

  • lifelong brooklynite (muslim)

    I just wanted to say, you guys – shomrim, hatzalah -are doing a great job – active and involved in the community and in your own safety. I wish other communities were so well organized and cared half as much about their neighborhoods. It helps deter open thuggery. Congrats on good work

  • Renee

    As in olden days we are still called animals, we should be put in cages, locked up for 20 years ,We also have wives,children,mothers.No one likes the Blackman,for some reason, the Blackman is still at the lowest point in life. We’ve been humiliated forever. Your Jewish nation has everything.We show the truth and act on situations, whether drunk or sober.Sign of the last days for us all.Crown Heights is where I was raised and I respect the elders of all races and religion.My parents were excellent. Unfortunately this guy has gone down the wrong road.I wish the best for the victim.