STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— A man found guilty recently of staking out and assaulting a local barber learned his fate Thursday in state Supreme Court, St. George.
Ariel Ruiz, 30, of North Burgher Avenue in West Brighton, will serve an indeterminate sentence of two and a half to five years in prison. He was convicted by a jury in September of misdemeanor assault and felony possession of a weapon.
Prosecutors alleged at trial that in the process of assaulting the victim, Ruiz took the man’s shears and stabbed him. The jury, however, acquitted the defendant of assault with a weapon after the defense argued a lack of evidence.
The prison sentence — which falls between the minimum and maximum allowed by state given the severity of the charges — was handed down Thursday by Justice Mario F. Mattei.
“This was a brutal attack in the way that (Ruiz) snuck up behind the person, and once the person was defenseless on the ground continued to kick him,’’ said Mattei in announcing his decision.
Prior to sentencing, defense attorney Timothy Richard noted that his client has an 8-year-old daughter. He requested the minimum allowable sentence of two to four years in prison.
“He wants to be a part of her life,” said Richard. “Even a difference of six months or a year is significant.”
Ruiz — clad Thursday in a beige sweatsuit, goatee and short fade haircut — declined to say anything before being sentenced. Family members watched quietly from the gallery and offered quiet farewells as he was escorted out of the courtroom.
Criminal past, dangerous crew: D.A.
In 2021, Ruiz was convicted of attempted possession of a weapon and sentenced to two years in prison.
In the current assault case, prosecutors submitted at trial that it was in retaliation for a prior incident. They said Ruiz’s friends and the victim’s friends were all fighting at a local bar.
Prosecutors also have suggested Ruiz ran with a dangerous group of friends, saying a key witness refused to testify out of fear for their safety.
‘Settling the score:’ D.A.
Police said it was about 7:30 p.m. on a frigid evening in February 2024 when officers stationed in a marked NYPD vehicle on Port Richmond Avenue in Port Richmond were alerted by a woman about a fight down the block.
Upon arrival, they found the victim with a stab wound to his back. Body-worn camera footage presented at trial showed the victim standing next to a woman as he spoke with officers. The wound was visible, dripping blood onto the sidewalk.
Earlier that day, prosecutors said, Ruiz showed up to the barbershop where the victim worked to “settle the score” for the bar fight.
The defendant — who stands approximately 6 feet tall with an athletic build — was seen in video surveillance footage throwing a flurry of punches and kicks.
Following the trial, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon issued a statement saying Ruiz is a “dangerous recidivist” who was “brought to justice.”
McMahon went on to thank prosecutors in the Narcotics-Investigations Bureau and members of the NYPD for their work in pursuing a conviction.