Man Charged With Punching Cyclist Could Face Felony Charges: Report

BEDFORD STUYVESANT, BROOKLYN — The man accused of punching a cyclist to the ground and putting him into a coma could face more serious charges, prosecutors told the New York Daily News.

Gary Anderson, 26, was charged with misdemeanor assault for lunging at Domingo Tapia as he rode his bike down Fulton Street on June 8, said police.

“We intend to present this case to a grand jury to seek upgraded charges so that justice is done,” a spokesman for Acting District Attorney Eric Gonzalez told the Daily News, “because the defendant allegedly struck a completely innocent man.”

Anderson, a sports instructor at the YMCA, punched Tapia, 38, to vent his frustration after an argument with three other men, the Daily News reported.

Tapia, a father of two sons whose family has started a GoFundMe campaign to pay his medical bills, remained in a medically-induced coma almost three weeks after the attack.

Anderson was charged with assault, menacing and harassment then released on $10,000 bail, court records show.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who has been in contact with Tapia’s family, called for felony charges to be brought against Anderson, the Daily News reported.

“At a minimum, this guy should be charged with reckless endangerment felony,” said Adams.

Header photo courtesy of the NYPD