NEW YORK (PIX11) – A man who admitted to attacking three men, including the “beloved” elderly owner of Ray’s Candy Store, now faces 10 years in state prison, the Manhattan District Attorney announced Wednesday.
Luis Peroza, 40, in December 2023 pleaded guilty to “viciously assaulting” the three men in the East Village – leaving the 90-year-old shop owner Ray Alvarez with a black eye and broken jaw, District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
“I hope that this sentencing can bring a sense of justice and relief for each of the victims,” Bragg said.
The violence started on January 31, 2023 at about 3 a.m. outside Ray’s Candy Store on Avenue A, where Peroza asked the owner to buy canned drinks from him, prosecutors said. When the owner declined, Peroza attacked him with a “hard object,” fracturing his facial bones and breaking his jaw, prosecutors said.
Peroza continued to Avenue C, where he attacked a 33-year-old and broke his orbital bone after demanding money, prosecutors said.
A couple hours later, Peroza continued his violent spree when he knocked out a 51-year-old’s tooth in a third attack on Avenue B, according to the District Attorney’s office.
The attack did not slow down the candy shop owner, who was back at the helm making “his famous fried Oreos,” said social media personality Nicolas Heller in an Instagram post.
“Among those attacked was the beloved owner of Ray’s Candy Store, who despite the attack, has shown great courage and resilience by returning to work and continuing to spread joy – as he has for decades,” Bragg said in a news release.
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