A 39-year-old man was arrested for beating a man who died after an accomplice struck the victim in the head, causing him to fall unconscious into a Bronx street where he was hit by two cars, officials said Tuesday.
Luis Torres, 39, was charged with attempted murder, assault, attempted assault and harassment for the brutal attack that led to Isais Portillo’s death on Aug. 8, Bronx prosecutors said.
Torres and his accomplice, who has not been caught, attacked the victim at College Ave. and E. 166th St in Melrose shortly before 4 a.m., according to a criminal complaint.
Torres repeatedly punched Portillo in the face, while the other man kicked him in the head, court documents show.
It was the other man who struck the blow to Portillo’s head that caused him to fall unconscious into the street, according to the complaint. About 10 minutes later, a white BMW SUV zipping east on E. 166th St. ran over the victim, but kept going, cops said.
An NYPD Strategic Response Group SUV rolling behind the BMW also ran over the man, but the officers stopped to render aid.
EMS rushed the victim to Lincoln Hospital, where he died.
The city’s medical examiner later determined that Portillo suffered brain damage and extensive bleeding to his head and face — injuries consistent with being struck numerous times by a fist, court documents show.
A judge ordered Torres held without bail after he pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court on Friday. He is due back in court on Wednesday.
Torres is a Queens resident with eight prior arrests, including for the murder of a man in the Bronx on Dec. 2014. It was not immediately clear how that case resolved.