In a News 12 exclusive, the victim of a home invasion in Bushwick said he was assaulted on Thursday night by two men, one of whom was carrying a knife.
Kevlin Genao said, thankfully, he was not stabbed, but he was punched and kicked, and his face is now swollen.
He told News 12 that it all started when he heard a knock at his door. He did not see anyone through the peephole but opened the door anyway and found two men at his doorstep.
“One guy had a knife,” said Genao. “What can I do? I said, ‘Bro, you got it. We could talk this out.”
Surveillance video showed the two alleged attackers wearing dark clothing and ski masks while walking into the apartment building.
“They knocked me down to the floor,” said Genao. “They started kicking me. They threw my desk on top of me.”
Police said the assault happened around 6:30 p.m. at the Hope Gardens apartments
on Evergreen Avenue near Eldert Street.
Genao said he moved into the complex one year ago, and there are issues with neighbors banging and yelling through the walls.
The 33-year-old said he believes this was a case of mistaken identity and had never seen the men before.
“They said, ‘Oh, so you like to bang on doors?’ said Genao. “I’m pretty sure I even heard one of the guys saying, ‘My grandma lives right there.”
Genao said the men did not steal from him, but he is looking to press charges.
“If somebody’s knocking on your door and you don’t know who it is, make sure you have some sort of protection, have some sort of pepper spray because people nowadays,” said Genao. “Everybody’s struggling and some people are just looking for the easy way out.”
Wavecrest Management released the following statement:
“At Wavecrest Management, we are dedicated to providing safe and secure living spaces for all our residents. We will collaborate directly with the NYPD and other authorities to follow all standard protocols and support the investigation in any way that we can.”