Criminal thug Bui Van Phu, who sucker-punched man, says he SHOULD NOT be punished as victim is 'not dead'
THE BRONX, NEW YORK CITY: On Friday, August 12, Jesus Cortes was left with a fractured skull and a brain bleed after the attack by Bui Van Phu. The incident happened after sex offender, Bui argued with Cortes inside the Fuego Tipico Restaurant on East 188th Street in Fordham Manor around 10:45 pm.
Bui was initially freed without bail after the terrifying assault was caught on video. However, he was then thrown in jail when New York Governor Kathy Hochul urged prosecutors to upgrade charges against him. In a recent interaction with New York Post, Bui stated that he shouldn’t be behind bars because his victim survived, “That s**t don’t make no sense,” said Bui in the interview.
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“He’s alive. He’s not dead. I thank God he survived. I didn’t want to hurt him that bad. I just hit him once.” said Bui. According to DailyMail, in the surveillance video, it was indicated that Bui put on a pair of gloves and hit Cortes in the back of the head. Later, Cortes can be seen falling to the floor and immediately falling unconscious. The New York Police Department stated that he "without prior conversation or altercation punched the victim in the face, before returning back into the restaurant and later to parts unknown." Watch the video here.
Furthermore, Bui said, "I can’t really remember anything. I was so mad, I’d never done anything like that before. That was my first time." Later, he added, ‘I’m not a violent person. I’m not like that. I wouldn’t do it again. I’m sorry. I know I did something wrong. That’s why I turned myself in." He then explained, "The judge told me don’t talk to him and stay away from him but If I could see him, I’d apologize and tell him I’m sorry. If he wants me to pay the medical, I don’t mind paying his medical (bills)." “I’m sorry. I know I did something wrong. That’s why I turned myself in,” Bui said multiple times throughout the interview.
Bui has a history of criminal offenses. He was convicted of attempted robbery in 1991 and is a registered sex offender who was out on parole after being convicted of raping a 17-year-old girl at gunpoint on December 24, 1994. However, he was released from prison in March 2019. Though he was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, later the district attorney's office put him under misdemeanor charges. However, The DA's office defended itself by claiming it is "still investigating" the shocking attack.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul had ordered him back in jail and he was called an "imminent threat to the community" at a parole hearing on Saturday, September 3. His parole officer, Nixa Rivera, spoke at his hearing, "Mr. Bui is a 55-year-old male with a persistent violent felony offender history." Rivera further added, "Mr. Bui is a registered level three sex offender, the highest level on the sexual offender registry. Mr. Bui continues to be an imminent threat to the community." Alison Lowy, the Legal Aid Society attorney assigned to Bui stated, "When this incident happened, the defendant called his parole officer and she told him to turn himself in, and he did."
A GoFundMe page has been started to meet medical expenses of Cortes. The campaign note says, "Jesus aka “Chucho” is a loved friend, brother and worker who is also part of our Gordo’s Cantina Family for 8 years. Last Saturday, he was the target of a violent and unprovoked attack. He suffered from multiple injuries, including a fractured skull which left him in a coma; today he was taken off the ventilator to see how his body responds. We get glimmers of hope that he will be getting better every day."