Surveillance cameras captured the moment a suspect calmly snuck up behind a 16-year-old girl walking into a Brooklyn deli and then — for no apparent reason — stabbing her in the back before calmly walking away.
The violent incident occurred in the last week of May, outside the juice bar along Rutland Road in Brownsville. The victim, Dagean Wilson, is now recovering at home, as investigators search for the suspect police believe to be responsible, Lewis Osie.
"I was going to the store to get something and I guess some guy saw me … and wanted to hurt me," Wilson said. "It felt like a punch, it hurt. I didn’t want to cause any drama so I left."
The teen said she at no point spoke with the suspect in the unprovoked and random attack.
Her mother, Laronda Hicks, was outraged over the attack, and said her daughter didn't even realize at first that she had been stabbed. It was not until later that the family realized how badly she was hurt, as her mother noticed the puncture wound.
"She just went to the store for five minutes to get ice. For someone to stab her for no reason...right now we're happy, we're OK, but the crazy thing is we have no idea who this man is," said Hicks.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
The teen was taken to the hospital, where fortunately no surgery was needed, and she was released a few hours later. The family said they don't spend much time outside, and after the brazen act of violence in broad daylight, they think it might be time to leave the neighborhood.
News
"I’m looking at it like, OK it’s time to leave. We take precautions every day, and when it does happen to you, you take a look at your community," said Hicks. "It could've turned out horrible. I could be burying my daughter."
An investigation is ongoing, and police are still searching for Osie.
