Maybe the police need two mobile command units at Union Square? Early yesterday morning a 56-year-old homeless man, Stanley Novak, was beaten to a pulp with a bicycle lock by another homeless man, police say. Novak later died from his injuries at Bellevue Hospital.
It is unclear what set off the fight between the two—which reportedly drew a crowd of curious kids—but it seems that around 1:20 a.m. Keenan Bryce, a 29-year-old with a history of getting in trouble in the park, hurled a U-lock at Novak and hit him squarely in the head before fleeing the scene. Police collared him when he returned to the park later.
The sad news comes as the Police continue to struggle to bring the edgy scene that has returned to the Park's eastern side under control. Only weeks ago the Police were crowing about how much they had already cleaned up the so-called Methadone Alley (which you might remember from this clip).
