Man arrested for attacking 12-year-old boy with crutch: NYPD

BROOKLYN (PIX11) -- A man has been arrested for allegedly attacking a 12-year-old boy with a crutch while he headed to school last week in Brooklyn, police confirmed Wednesday.

Jamal McIlwain, 28, of Brooklyn, has been arrested and charged with two counts of assault, acting in a manner injurious to a child less than 17 and menacing, according to police.

The attack happened on St. Paul’s Place on Nov. 17 at around 7:40 a.m. The boy was walking to the train station on Caton Avenue when he was ambushed, police said. McIlwain came up from behind the victim and struck him several times with the crutch while the child was in the crosswalk, the NYPD video shows.

"It's weird how he ran across the street just to hit me," the boy told PIX11 News.

He was terrified when the man came after him with a crutch. The boy said he was on his way to a train station to get to school last week. It was early morning; he was walking near St. Paul's Place and St. Paul's Court when the man ran up from behind.

"When he hit me, it took me a few seconds to process what was going on," the boy said. "I tried to block it with this arm and ran."

The boy suffered minor injuries to the head and was taken to urgent care in stable condition, police said.

“I’m feeling better than a few days ago when I got hit. the eye used to be swollen very much,” the boy told PIX11. “I didn’t do anything to him, so how come he has a grudge against me?"