Duo charged in Elmhurst attack on elderly woman, pizzeria owners
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Two men were indicted this week in Queens Criminal Court for allegedly attacking two elderly women and stabbing the owners of an Elmhurst pizzeria who attempted to intervene in one of the attacks in March. Photo via Google Maps
By Jacob Kaye
Two men, one from Manhattan and the other from Brooklyn, were indicted in Queens Criminal Court on Tuesday on attempted murder charges for allegedly perpetrating the attacks on an elderly Asian American woman and two good Samaritans who owned a nearby pizza shop in Elmhurst in March.
Supreme Gooding, 18, and Robert Whack, 30, both face up 25 years in prison after they allegedly attacked two women and stabbed Louie Suljovic and his father Charlie Suljovic, the owners of Louie’s Pizzeria on Baxter Avenue, when they attempted to break up one of the attacks.
In addition to the attempted murder charge, they face assault, robbery, grand larceny, criminal possession of a weapon and other charges.
Prosecutors say the first of the attacks came on March 16, around 5:35 p.m., when a 75-year-old woman was entering her apartment building on 64th Street. Whack and Gooding allegedly snatched the woman’s purse and cane and ran off, according to the charges.
They were later spotted on video surveillance running down 64th Street in possession of the woman’s purse immediately after the robbery, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Ten days later, around 8:45 p.m., a 61-year-old woman was walking along Baxter Avenue and Judge Street, near Louie’s Pizzeria, when Whack allegedly grabbed her purse.
The woman attempted to grab it back from Whack and Gooding, who had then become involved in the struggle, according to the charges.
The 68-year-old pizzeria owner and his son heard the woman call for help and ran out of the shop to see what was going on.
After spotting the struggle, they intervened and attempted to grab the purse.
Whack and Gooding then began attacking the men, stabbing Charlie Suljovic multiple times and Louie Suljovic once.
The duo then fled the area, Katz said.
Charlie Suljovic was taken to a nearby hospital with nine stab wounds to his chest and back – he additionally suffered a collapsed lung. His son also suffered a collapsed lung and a stab wound to his back.
The 61-year-old woman suffered a stab wound to her back.
The pair were arrested a short time later, only having made it a short distance from the site of the attack.
Law enforcement said they found a knife in Whack’s jacket pocket that appeared to be bloodied. They additionally found that he was in possession of heroin, which resulted in drug charges.
“Thankfully, no lives were lost but we will not allow senseless violence to become the norm in our communities,” Katz said in a statement. “Both defendants now face serious charges for their alleged actions.”
Whack was ordered by Queens Supreme Court Justice David Kirschner to return to court on July 21. Gooding was ordered to return to court on July 18.
A GoFundMe was created in March to support the Suljovics’ recovery and to pay staff of the pizzeria, which was forced to close in the weeks following the attack. The fund raised over $750,000 – its original goal was $75,000.
