May 13, 2021 By Allie Griffin
Police have arrested the man caught on video beating and robbing two men after they hit his car in Jackson Heights over the weekend.
Officers nabbed 27-year-old Jovani Padin of Woodside Wednesday and charged him with robbery, attempted grand larceny, assault and leaving the scene of an accident.
The incident was sparked by a seemingly innocuous collision in which Padin was driving a grey Honda Accord down 70th Street when he was hit by a white Nissan Sentra that was pulling out of a parking lot at around 7 p.m.
Padin got out of the Honda and demanded money for the damage to his car. He then started punching two men who were the occupants of the Nissan and had gotten out of their vehicle during the course of an argument, police said.
He allegedly sucker punched a 55-year-old man who had been a passenger in the Nissan. The victim was knocked out cold and Padin took the man’s phone as he laid on the street, the video shows.
Suspect (NYPD)
Padin then turned on the 23-year-old Nissan driver and repeatedly punched him as he tried to walk away.
The 23-year-old tried to block the punches with his arms as he was knocked to the ground. Padin, shown wearing jeans and a neon hoodie, grabbed his phone from his hand, according to the video.
He then walked back to the 55-year-old, who was still out cold on the ground. He callously flipped his limp body over and grabbed the man’s wallet from his pocket, the video shows.
Padin allegedly took off in his own car with the victim’s cellphones and the older man’s wallet — which contained his ID and bank cards, police said.
Both victims refused medical attention, police said.
