A cellphone video captured the moments a man attacked another man in a wheelchair as he was walking his dogs on a New York street. Now the alleged assailant faces assault charges for the incident.
The video shows the moment Levi Kabakov forcibly pushed Troy McLeod out of his wheelchair as the pair were engaged in a dispute.
“Call 911!” a woman recording the encounter cries out. “How can you do that to a man in a wheelchair?!”
McLeod told News 12 Brooklyn that he was taking his dogs for a walk in a Crown Heights neighborhood on March 29 when Kabakov confronted him, alleged his dogs were bothering his children, and demanded he cross the street.
McLeod said his dogs were muzzled and calm and never did anything to his children, but he crossed the street anyway. Then, Kabakov came out of his home to confront him again, this time with more aggression.
“My dogs are well trained, and even as he was violating me, you can see they did not involve themselves to hurt him,” McLeod said, referring to the cellphone video showing the dogs staying still during the altercation.
McLeod said Kabakov grabbed a wooden block from a bench in his yard and struck him with it before pushing him out of his chair in front of bystanders. One person recorded the altercation.
“I was scared, I was trying to get back up, I was in shock, and thank God someone was there,” McLeod said. “It felt like a vengeful vibe to me because, to the extent of the situation, there was no need for it.”
McCleod said he’s now in constant pain from the attack.
“I had to block myself when he struck me twice, so I need my hands to get around, so the hills are tough for me right now,” he said.
Kabakov was charged with second-degree assault and aggravated menacing. The 30-year-old was arraigned on March 30 and released without bail. His next court date is in July.
McLeod hopes that Kabakov will think about his actions and hold himself accountable.
“If you are feeling some way, take a time out, call someone, you have no cause to ever violate someone like that put your hands on someone,” he said.
Many online were displeased with the assault. Some calling for hate crime chargers against the attacker. Another added, “What is most concerning is the fact that he committed a crime against a disabled person and was released without bail. And what adds real insult is he is a black disabled man. That is a felony in almost all states.”
