BROOKLYN, NY – A Brooklyn neighborhood is reeling after a violent incident involving a car service driver left one man dead and another critically injured. The New York Police Department (NYPD) has since arrested the driver.
The driver, 33-year-old Sergio Zamora-Mendoza, now faces charges of manslaughter and assault following the events of Dec. 7. Zamora-Mendoza, himself a Brooklyn resident, was transporting Carlos Guaman, 66, and Guaman’s 52-year-old cousin when a disagreement turned deadly around 4:40 a.m. near West 9th Street and Avenue T in Gravesend.
The argument reportedly escalated quickly, with Zamora-Mendoza exiting his vehicle to physically attack the two men. He repeatedly struck both men in the head before fleeing, leaving them unconscious on the street.
Police arrived to find the cousins with severe head trauma. Both were rushed to Maimonides Medical Center. Unfortunately, Guaman did not survive his injuries, while his cousin remains in a critical but stable condition.
The exact cause of the initial disagreement is yet to be determined. The surviving cousin, heavily intoxicated at the time of the incident, has been unable to provide a clear account of the events. A doorbell camera captured the incident, reports suggest.
Local residents have expressed their shock and disbelief at the violent incident, noting that such events are not typical in their usually peaceful neighborhood. One long-term resident described the incident as particularly tragic given its proximity to the holiday season.