Bronx man sentenced for sucker punching man into coma
In August 2022, Jesus Cortes was outside of a restaurant on the Grand Concourse when Bui Van Phu came up from behind and punched him in the head.
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The man convicted of sucker punching another man into a coma was sentenced by a Bronx judge on Thursday.
Bui Van Phu was sentenced to two to four years for attempted assault and 3 1/2 to seven years for criminal possession of a weapon. The sentences will run concurrently.
In August 2022, Jesus Cortes was outside of a restaurant on the Grand Concourse when Van Phu came up from behind and punched him in the head. The attack was unprovoked and caught on surveillance video.
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Cortes suffered from a fractured skull, broken eye socket and multiple face fractures. He was in a coma for one month.
For the first time, Cortes came face-to-face with Van Phu in the court room and delivered an emotional victim impact statement. Cortes says he had never seen Van Phu before and does not understand why he attacked him.
“This man beat me up, I was close to dying, I spent a lot of time in the hospital, until today I have multiple fractures in my head, yesterday they just fixed my nose, l don't know what else to expect," said Cortes.
Two years later, Cortes says he is still undergoing medical procedures for his fractures and is scared to leave his house.
At the time of the incident, Van Phu was on lifetime parole for a sexual abuse case and criminal possession of a firearm.
Van Phu's attorney declined to comment on the sentence.
