A group of very young teenagers has been arrested for assaulting a retired police lieutenant who stepped in to try to defuse the situation when he spotted them harassing a taxi driver on the Upper East Side, police said Friday.
The brats were bothering a cabbie near Park Ave. and E. 84th St. in Manhattan around 8 p.m. on Tuesday when the 65-year-old victim tried to intervene, prompting the teens to turn on him, whacking him with a heavy backpack and punching him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground, according to police.
The hooligans then ran away. Unbeknownst to them, the victim was a former NYPD officer.
On Friday, cops announced that they had arrested four boys — a 13-year-old and three 14-year-olds — in connection with the attack. They are all charged with felony gang assault.
Police are not releasing their names since they are minors.
The victim sustained minor injuries to his face and knee. He refused medical attention at the scene.
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