Brutal Bx. rob

Street vendor in critical after attack by 5 goons

A BRONX STREET vendor is fighting for his life after being savagely beaten by a crook who tried to steal a purse from his stand, relatives told the Daily News on Wednesday.

A day earlier, Souleymane Porgo was set up in his usual spot on E. 149th St. and Third Ave., where he has hawked books, socks and other goods for over a decade with his brother.

His wife and two toddler daughters sat nearby, enjoying the spring weather.

When a man tried to grab a purse without paying, Porgo and his brother scared off the wouldbe thief, who vowed to return with friends.

He and four pals made good on the threat, together attacking the brothers, punching and kicking them, sources said.

Cell phone video shows the thief and his friends continued their assault even after Porgo fell to the ground, slamming his head on the sidewalk.

Three of the assailants took turns sucker-punching an already defenseless Porgo in the head in front of scores of witnesses before running off south on Third Ave.

One casually walks toward the camera, taking a bite of something in his hand, as the clip ends.

“Once the guy punched him, he fell, he fell stiff like a dead person,” Porgo’s wife, who did not want her name used, told the Daily News. “Even when he was on the floor they punched him.”

Porgo, originally from Burkina Faso, was taken to Lincoln Medical Center, where he was in critical condition.

“I couldn’t do nothing to help him, my daughters were right there,” his wife said.

Porgo underwent surgery Tuesday night to have a piece of his skull removed to relieve pressure from swelling and hemorrhaging in his brain, his wife said.

He also suffered a broken jaw and remains sedated in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

Cops are searching for his five attackers. There were had been no arrests as of Wednesday evening.

On 149th St., a small patch of dried blood marked the spot where Porgo’s table was usually set up.

A fellow vendor from the corner said Porgo and his brother sold their wares there for over 10 years — and that people frequently try to rip them off.

“It happens all the time,” the vendor said. “People try it, even the rich.”