Copyright Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A violent confrontation captured on security video in a West Brighton deli left one man injured and another facing multiple charges. The incident occurred at around 5:45 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, at the Bagels, Bread and Butter Deli on Forest Avenue, police said. Yousef Murden, 55, of Delafield Avenue in West Brighton, was arrested and charged with criminal mischief, assault, menacing and harassment following the altercation, according to the criminal complaint. According to the victim, a 57-year-old retired entertainment industry worker who requested his name not be published, he entered the deli to cash in scratch-off lottery tickets when he encountered Murden arguing with a cashier about the cost of a sandwich he had purchased. “I just stood there and said nothing,” the victim told the Advance/SILive.com. The victim said he was confronted by Murden as he started to leave. The video shows Murden allegedly sucker-punching the victim twice in the back of the head while a woman unsuccessfully tries to get him to exit the store. “I’m not looking at anything; I’m just minding my own business,” the victim recounted saying before urging Murden to go on his way. The physical altercation moved from inside the deli to outside and back in again, with Murden allegedly threatening the victim. “He chased me around the store and said, ‘I’m gonna come back in with a gun, and I’m gonna kill you,’” according to the victim and police. In an attempt to defend himself, the victim said he struck Murden with a full coffee pot after warning him multiple times to back away, shattering it across his face. According to the criminal complaint, Murden then went outside and allegedly threw an object — which the victim claims to have been a large perfume bottle — at the victim’s 2022 Ford Bronco, cracking the windshield. Store employees hid the victim in their freezer until police arrived, he said. Police said Murden allegedly caused redness, bruising, swelling and “substantial pain” to the victim’s head. “It was a nightmare, a complete and total nightmare,” the victim said. “I’m shaken up. I don’t want to hurt anybody. I didn’t want to have to do any of the stuff that I had to do. This guy was relentless.” The victim sustained minor injuries but did not seek medical attention. He now faces a $500 deductible to repair his damaged windshield, he said. “About two years ago we had a similar incident, but one of my employees was the victim that time,” said Harris Zafar, the deli’s owner. “It is very awful. People come here because this is the only establishment in the area that’s open 24 hours, and we are always here to help our customers, even at nighttime.” Murden pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to return to Criminal Court, St. George, on Dec. 11, according to court documents. Murden’s attorney, Emily Rodriguez Johnson, declined to comment.
