A suspect in an attack of an Army veteran and the theft of his service dog in New York is speaking out, claiming he had nothing to do with the crime.
Police say former Army Ranger Robert Lebron, 40, was on Valentine Avenue and East 49th Street in the Fordham section of the Bronx back on May 14 when two men punched him and then stole his dog who helped him with his PTSD. The dog is still missing.
Police named Philadelphia native Brian Cohen as well as a second man as suspects in the attack and robbery. After seeing the police report however, Cohen spoke to NBC10 and maintained his innocence.
"I don't know if they're saying I'm the guy that attacked him. I don't know if they're saying I'm the guy that took the dog. I don't know if they said I'm the guy standing there," Cohen said. "I'm not any one of the three. I was in Philadelphia on Mother's Day with my mother."
While he claimed he wasn't involved in the attack or theft, Cohen also told NBC10 he knows Lebron.
"This is just a beef that goes back with me and him in regards to a female," Cohen said. "I'm not avoiding anybody. As soon as I heard the story I called channel 4 up. Here's my address. You can send police, a camera man, anybody you want. I'm not hiding."
Cohen also claimed the last time he saw Lebron was the day after Easter.
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Police described the second suspect in the incident as a man standing 5-foot-5 and weighing 180 pounds wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt, dark pants and dark shoes.
Anyone with information on the attack is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.
