A man who was caught on camera hitting a homeless person in the head with a baseball bat will avoid jail time under a “sweetheart” plea deal with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, according to the New York Post.
Reportedly, prosecutors told the outlet that they offered the man in question, Karim Azizi, 36, a deal because they’d been unable to locate his victim, who is a 47-year-old homeless man. He was attacked by Azizi on Nov. 29, 2022 and sustained injuries to his head and face.
“After diligent efforts to find [the victim] we were unable,” Assistant District Attorney Heather Manley reportedly said to a judge in Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday. She explained that Azizi did not have a criminal history and was “willing to take responsibility for his actions” (via the New York Post):
Azizi – who has been free on $7,500 bail – had faced up to seven years behind bars for the assault in which he pulled a bat from his pants and swung it at the victim, causing him to tumble to the ground near Amsterdam Avenue and West 148th Street.
As part of the deal, Azizi pleaded guilty to second and third-degree assault and must participate in a treatment program for the next 15 months, until his sentencing.
If he successfully completes the program at the Center for Justice Innovation – undergoing individual and group therapy sessions – he’ll be sentenced only to one year of conditional release on the lesser charge.
The more serious second-degree assault charge would be dismissed at that point.
But if he fails to stay out of trouble and doesn’t finish the program, the guilty plea would stick and he’d face a minimum of three-and-a-half years behind bars and a maximum of seven.
Perp in wild caught-on-camera NYC baseball bat-attack avoids jail with sweetheart plea deal https://t.co/ZQIOvKNGNp pic.twitter.com/mlG5jmsVdy
— New York Post (@nypost) September 20, 2023
Reportedly, at the time of the attack, Azizi was “dealing with the loss of a close family member and feelings of grief contributing to how he acted.” He attacked the homeless man before walking away, returning and stomping on him.
Azizi’s lawyer, Jason Goldman, told the Post that he “has a bright future.”
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