Slay ruling in ‘beat’ of street guy
A KINDHEARTED Queens man who was sucker-punched after his cell phone was stolen is clinging to life and breathing through a tube, distraught relatives said on Wednesday.
Mohammad Alam, 72, a Bangladeshi immigrant who has spent the last 15 years caring for his blind wife, remains in critical condition at Elmhurst Hospital — and the two teens accused of attacking him are now sitting behind bars.
“He’s still on life support,” said Alam’s cousin Faisel Hassan. “The doctors will know more in five to seven days. It’s still very early to tell.”
Alam was talking on his phone outside MIM Wireless on Hillside Ave. near 167th St. in Jamaica Hills around 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 28 when a teen ran by him and snatched the cell from his hand.
As Alam took off, trying to chase the thief, another teenager who was standing nearby broadsided him across the side of his face.
The brutal blow sent Alam head-first into the concrete sidewalk, police said.
The harrowing attack was caught on video, which police released in their search for suspects.
Horrified witnesses tried to grab the pugilistic punk, but he managed to break free and run away before cops could arrive.
Medics rushed Alam to Elmhurst, where he has remained since, fighting for his life.
Doctors told investigators that Alam suffered severe brain damage and that his outlook is grim.
A photo given to the Daily News shows Alam lying in a hospital bed, unconscious and breathing with the help of a respirator.
A series of tubes can be seen snaking up and down his arms.
On Monday, police identified and arrested the two teens they believe are responsible for the attack.
Shyquan Kimble and Jaleel Steele, both 16 and from Queens, were charged with robbery and assault.
A Queens Criminal Court judge ordered the pair held without bail following a brief court appearance on Tuesday.
The criminal charges will most likely be upgraded if Alam dies, a law enforcement source said.
Before attacking Alam, Kimble and Steele and two other teens were seen going into several wireless stores on Hillside Ave. asking about different cell phones.
Investigators believe they were looking for an unattended cell phone they could steal.
When that didn’t work, they targeted Alam, a police source said.
Alam moved to the U.S. from Bangladesh about four years ago, Hassan said.
He didn’t work because he cared full time for his wife — a former surgeon who went blind following eye surgery 15 years ago. “He’s been taking care of her ever since,” his cousin, who works as a cab driver, told The News.
Back home in Bangladesh, Alam worked as a construction contractor.
He was also politically active, working for his country’s liberation from Pakistan in 1971.
Bangladesh became a sovereign nation a year later.
“He helped organize protests,” Hassan said. “He’s a very good person.” THE DEATH of a homeless man who was sprawled unconscious on a Queens street has been ruled a homicide, police said Wednesday.
Edgar Rivera, 32, was discovered on Jamaica Ave. and 171st St. in Jamaica at 8 a.m. on July 2. He was rushed to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition with a massive head wound and died there two days later, cops said.
On Tuesday, the city medical examiner deemed Rivera’s death a homicide.
“He may have been assaulted but what transpired still has to be determined,” a police source said Wednesday.
Police were still searching for a suspect Wednesday.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.