brooklyn

Brooklyn Man Receives Prison Sentence for Knife Assault

**Brooklyn, NY** – A Bushwick man has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for slashing a stranger with a knife and attacking a bystander who tried to intervene, according to an announcement by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.

The defendant, Michael Ruiz, 46, was sentenced by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Laura Johnson on Friday. He received a three-and-a-half-year prison term with three years of post-release supervision. Ruiz was convicted on August 19 of second-degree assault and third-degree attempted assault following a jury trial.

The incident occurred on June 28, 2022, at approximately 2:15 a.m. on Berry Street in Greenpoint. The 39-year-old victim was on the phone outside his apartment when Ruiz, a stranger, threatened him. Ruiz left to retrieve a knife from his car and continued to menace the victim upon returning.

A bystander attempting to intervene was punched by Ruiz, who then kicked the original victim to the ground and slashed him with the knife. The victim sustained injuries including a fractured orbital bone and arm laceration, requiring 15 stitches. Ruiz was apprehended on October 6, 2022