A 69-year-old churchgoing grandmother was cold-cocked by an ex-con as he fled a Queens deli with a stolen can of beer, police and witnesses said Tuesday.
Surveillance video of the incident shows the victim, Eve Gentillon, standing outside the Sutphin King Deli on Sutphin Boulevard near 108th Avenue in Jamaica around 8:10 a.m. Saturday when the brute suddenly storms out of the store and socks Gentillon in the head.
The blow caused the victim to fall flat on her back, leaving her out cold on the sidewalk.
Gentillon, who suffered a brain aneurysm, was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where she underwent surgery and was listed in stable condition, said her distraught daughter, Marie Gentillon, on Tuesday.
“As soon as I saw that punch, I kind of fell back,” Marie said of the disturbing footage. “She was bleeding from her nose and mouth.”
Cops are now searching for the victim’s attacker, identified as career criminal Richard “Kwasi” Springer, 28, police said.
Springer, a frequent troublemaker at the deli, threw $1 on the floor for the $3.50 25-ounce can of Bud Light Lime Straw-Ber-Rita that he took, and fought with a worker before moving on to Gentillon, employees said.
“He started pushing me, and I push him back,” deli clerk Methaq Algabyali said of Springer. “We started fighting for like 5 minutes. I called for the boss to come down, and he punched me in the face.”
Springer allegedly said, “Call the police! I will come back to kill someone!” Algabyali recalled, adding Springer had been drinking.
Algabyali said Gentillon was simply outside the deli watching the chaos unfold before Springer struck her.
“Right away, he punched her in the face for no reason,” he said. “She fell down and stayed down for 10 minutes. When I seen how she was down, I think she’s dying.”
Algabyali said Springer, whose last known address is nearby on 109th Avenue, regularly causes problems at the corner store.
“He’s a regular customer, but when he’s drunk, he do the same story. He want to fight, he want to take stuff for free,” said Algabyali.
Deli worker David Lebron, 51, said Gentillon “looked very bad to me. I said, ‘This is unbelievable, very bad.’”
“[Springer] tried to get a beer, and he started a fight,” said Lebron.
Springer, who has the name “Emily” tattooed on his right arm, has 10 prior arrests on his record dating back to 2003, including charges of assault, robbery and grand larceny.
Springer, who was convicted of second-degree attempted robbery in 2006, spent nearly six years in jail, records show.
He is currently on parole after being convicted in February of this year for robbery, perjury and criminal possession of stolen property.
“I hope they catch him,” Marie said of the suspect. “Someone needs to be accountable.”
Police described Springer as around 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds with cornrows. He was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, blue jeans and black boots.