The 68-year-old Christian woman, Irene Tahliambouris, who was viciously assaulted last Sunday is in the hospital fighting for her life, according to a GoFundMe which was created by the Tahliambouris’ son.
The 16-year-old thug who committed the heinous act was finally arrested yesterday by the NYPD and charged with assault, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, among other charges.
Here’s more from the New York Post:
A 16-year-old boy was arrested Thursday for shoving a 68-year-old woman down the steps of her Queens church and snatching her purse over the weekend, police said.
The teen was hit with several charges, including robbery and assault, over the early Sunday attack outside St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Briarwood, cops said.
Surveillance video of the crime shows a young man pushing the victim, identified by family as Irene Tahliambouris, down the steps.
While she was on the ground, he ruthlessly stole her purse containing cash, a cellphone, a credit card and car keys, then drove away in her 2006 Nissan Altima.
The youngster, whose identity was not released because he’s a minor, was also charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.
A man who identified himself as a relative of the victim applauded the arrest in a social media post Thursday night while he implored lawmakers to get tough on crime.
“This lowlife is off our streets for now, and we are hoping the system will actually do its job this time. We’re tired of seeing criminals walk free because of our soft on crime laws,” Daniel Coffaro Hill wrote.
“This thug is another example of how petty criminals feel bold enough to escalate their crimes, knowing they’ll likely get off with a slap on the wrist. Despite this, there seems to be a lack of urgency from both Albany and NYC to implement the necessary legal reforms to ensure these individuals are held accountable.”
Tahliambouris remains in the hospital in critical condition, her family said in a GoFundMe page.
Following the attack, authorities ramped up patrols around the church.
“[Parishioners] were shocked because we don’t have incidents like that here in this area of the neighborhood,” the Rev. Konstantinos Kalogridis previously said. “There was fear, they were angry and sad for the woman as she went through this.”
I know it doesn’t delineate exactly what the assault charge is, but it really should be attempted murder given the way this thug shoved her down the stairs so callously. But I have no confidence in NYC DA Alvin Bragg that this thug will get what he truly deserves, which is prison for a long, long time. Bragg will probably downgrade the charges so that this thug is back out on the street in two years or something.
Meanwhile, the GoFundMe of Irene Tahliambouris has raised 10k and you can donate here if you like.