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Woman, 63, attacked, dragged by mentally ill homeless man on Staten Island, badly injured

The New York Daily News - 10/13/2018

Oct. 13--A Staten Island woman body-slammed and dragged unconscious by a mentally ill homeless man says it was the worst thing that's even happened to her in her 63 years.

The woman, who requested her name not be used, was on her way to buy groceries Monday for her 94-year-old father when Eric Coleman, 55, crept up behind her just before 7 a.m. on New Dorp Lane near Clawson Ave. in New Dorp.

Without saying a word, Coleman body-slammed her to the ground and broke her glasses. She lost consciousness. He then grabbed one of her legs, awkwardly flipped her over and dragged her down the street, according to shocking video.

As Coleman stood over her unconscious form, a good Samaritan called 911. Police officers came and arrested him.

"I remember waking up in the hospital and they said I was assaulted," she said.

She suffered broken ribs, a hurt shoulder, and she had bleeding in the brain. The dragging scraped the skin off of her back. Her face is so black-and-blue she compared it to the first "Rocky" movie.

"He would have left me on the street to die if he could have," she said. "It's the worst thing that ever happened to me."

The woman, a retired medical lab technician, said she's considering becoming an activist on homeless issues.

"I want help get the homeless off the streets so they can't do something like this," she said. "I don't want this to happen to anyone else. It was horrible. If they let him out, he's going to do this to someone else."

Coleman was arraigned on a misdemeanor assault charge and harassment.

Coleman has 19 prior arrests, including a crack possession charge from Feb. 14.

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