What you should know
- Luis Peroza was sentenced Friday to 10 years in state prison for the March 2023 beating of Ray Alvarez, the owner of the eponymous Ray’s candy store.
- It’s also where Peroza, 40, carried out his attack around 3:30 a.m. with two other men, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office, when the store is typically busiest.
- At first, Alvarez did not want to press charges or involve the police, but the people who live around the store were so outraged that they convinced him to file a police report.
NEW YORK — The man convicted of the brutal attack on a 91-year-old Manhattan candy store legend, which left the victim bleeding on the floor outside his East Village store, was sentenced to a decade in prison. , prosecutors announced.
Luis Peroza was sentenced Friday to 10 years in state prison for the March 2023 beating of Ray Alvarez, the owner of the eponymous Ray’s candy store. The popular Manhattan nightspot on Avenue A, opened and run by Alvarez since 1974, is known for its egg creams and fried Oreos.
It’s also where Peroza, 40, carried out his attack around 3:30 a.m. with two other men, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office, when the store is typically busiest.
According to Álvarez, the man approached him outside his store and asked him if he wanted to buy mineral water. Alvarez says he told them “no, thank you” and ended up hit in the head with a belt that had a heavy rock on the end after asking what was in the box.
“Then he told his friend, ‘Wait, I want to kill this guy,'” Alvarez previously said. “I was shocked and thought about the end of the world, I fell to the ground, I saw the blood and I thought this looks like the end.”
The victim was left with a broken jaw, fractured facial bones and a black eye.
Peroza fled immediately afterwards; In the end the attackers did not manage to get away with it. Alvarez was left severely bruised and suffered debilitating injuries to his face and chest. Alvarez told NBC New York that he was in so much pain from the dislocated jaw that he could only drink through a straw.
Police said Peroza’s spree of violence was not over: Later that day, he and the two others went after another man who refused to buy a cigarette.
Peroza pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree assault in December. His attorney did not speak to reporters after the trial Wednesday. In the courtroom, the judge asked Peroza if he had anything to say. After pausing for a few moments, Peroza said, “I’m fine.”
Álvarez has quite a personal story: he left the Iranian navy and ended up in New York before opening his store, which has seen a who’s who of celebrities pass through its doors over the years. He told NBC New York that he had already been attacked at work once, but nothing like this.
At first, Alvarez did not want to press charges or involve the police, but the people who live around the store were so outraged that they convinced him to file a police report.
The nonagenarian said he has a job to do, so he didn’t take any time off. A few hours after the incident, he returned to manning his counter. Despite the cut on the side of his head, not being able to chew and having trouble sleeping, Alvarez said he did not want to go to the doctor.
“This happens, you know, and I still love New York,” he said. “It’s okay, I’ll be fine, it will pass.”
2024-02-08 02:42:07
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