Sister of man punched in unprovoked attack outside NYC restaurant hails his arrest

The sister of the man who was punched in a vicious unprovoked attack outside a New York City restaurant excoriated the suspect and hailed police for his arrest, saying that she has no plans to bury the hatchet anytime soon.

She also identified the victim as Jesus Cortes, 52, a longtime resident of the Bronx neighborhood where the assault occurred.

‘May God forgive him, because I wouldn’t,’ Veronica Cortes, his younger sister, said in an interview with The Daily News. ‘He did a lot of harm to me and my family, putting us through this.’

Police took the suspect, Bui Van Phu, 55, into custody Wednesday and charged him with attempted murder after he followed another restaurant patron outside and brutally beat him in a wordless attack on Friday, August 12 – fracturing his skull. 

Phu is a registered sex offender who was convicted for raping a woman at gunpoint on December 24, 1994, according to court records viewed by DailyMail.com.

The NYPD confirmed that they had arrested him after releasing footage of the horror incident.

Police were initially called at 10.45 p.m. to reports of a 52-year-old man being assaulted in front of the Fuego Tipico restaurant on 163 East 188 Street, the Bronx.

Cortes was found unconscious and unresponsive on the ground after the unprovoked attack with a head injury and was rushed to the hospital.

He is currently in a critical but stable condition, and investigations into the brutal attack are ongoing. 

‘That kind of person shouldn’t be out on the street,’ Veronica Cortes said. ‘I felt helplessness and anger and sadness, because that person who did the damage does not know the damage he did to the whole family.’

Bui Van Phu, 55, is a registered sex offender who was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with the assault

Police were called at 10.45pm to reports of a 52-year-old man being assaulted in front of the Fuego Tipico restaurant on 163 East 188 Street. They have now arrested a 55-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder

Horrifying surveillance footage shows the victim, 52, crumpling to the floor as he is attacked from behind

Shortly before the attack Phu positions himself behind his victim, before raining down a vicious blow in front of a group of other people outside of the restaurant

 Horrifying surveillance video captures the moment Phu put on a pair of gloves and swung with great force, hitting the victim in the back of the head. 

Cortes then immediately falls to the floor, appearing to be unconscious, banging his head on the concrete after the sudden attack. He suffered a skull fracture, broken cheek bone and bleeding on the brain, with EMS rushing him to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi.

Phu, wearing a black t-shirt and black pants, left the restaurant shortly after the victim, who was chatting to several other individuals. 

He was previously convicted in March 1995 of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree.

A spokesman for Fuego Tipico restaurant declined to comment when contacted by DailyMail.com.  

A NYPD spokesman said: ‘It was reported to police that on Friday, August 12, 2022 at approximately 2245 hours, police responded to a 911 call of a male assaulted in front of the Fuego Tipico Restaurant located at 163 Eat 188 Street.

‘Upon arrival, responding officers discovered a 52-year-old male victim unconscious and unresponsive on the ground with trauma to his head.

Police were called at 10.45pm to reports of a 52-year-old man being assaulted in front of the Fuego Tipico restaurant on 163 East 188 Street in the Bronx

The victim suffered a skull fracture, broken cheek bone and bleeding on the brain, with EMS rushing him to the hospital following the incident at 10.45pm on August 12

Phu donned a pair of gloves before lashing out at the back of the victim’s head, causing the man to fall to the floor and bang his head on the ground

The man, wearing a black t-shirt, left the restaurant shortly after the victim, before approaching him on the sidewalk 

‘Upon further investigation, the victim exited the restaurant, stopped and observed several individuals talking, at which time an individual exited the restaurant put on a pair of gloves and positioned himself behind the victim.

‘Without prior conversation or altercation, the individual punched the victim in the face before returning back into the restaurant and later to parts unknown.

‘The victim sustained a skull fracture, broken cheek bone and bleeding on his brain.

‘EMS responded to the scene and transported the victim to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, where he is listed critical but stable condition, the investigation is ongoing. 

‘The individual is described as a: Adult male, medium complexion, medium build and partially balding. 

‘He was last seen wearing black pants, a black t-shirt and gloves.’