On May 29th, a suspect accused of assaulting a Chinese chef after dining at a sushi restaurant in Albany, New York appeared in Albany County Court on Wednesday. The 42-year-old suspect, Lucas Healey, pleaded not guilty to charges of robbery and assault.
Healey was accused of attempting to escape after a meal totaling $425 and violently attacking staff members who tried to intercept him, with the sushi restaurant owner and chef, Su Wen, sustaining the most severe injuries.
Prosecutors alleged that Healey repeatedly punched Su Wen in the face, causing him to lose consciousness. Following the assault, 49-year-old Su Wen underwent treatment at the New York University Rehabilitation Center. It was reported that he remained unconscious for two weeks.
The suspect Healey is currently held at the Albany County Jail awaiting a bail hearing, scheduled for August 16th.
According to a report by New10 ABC, Su Wen’s daughter, Nicole, expressed her hope for the suspect to receive severe punishment. She shared that her father suffered serious brain damage from the attack, leading to a significant decline in memory and motor skills.
Nicole stated that if individuals like Healey are not sentenced to life imprisonment, she would feel uneasy and angry, as that is the punishment she and her mother believe he deserves. She said, “For him (father), everything has become very difficult now. He still cannot communicate effectively, with severe memory loss. When my mother asked my father about my age and my sister’s age, he could only repeatedly write down his own name.”
Next door to Su Wen’s sushi restaurant, business owner Chris Pratt initiated a fundraising campaign on the GoFundMe website for Su Wen. Pratt updated the GoFundMe page on July 16th, sharing the latest updates on Su Wen’s family.
As described on GoFundMe, Su Wen can barely be heard when speaking, with nurses needing to be very close to him to hear his voice. It is unclear whether he is unwilling to speak or unable to understand or speak. Brain damage has affected his limb motor skills, making it difficult for him to grasp and release objects.
The GoFundMe campaign aims to raise $75,000 and had gathered approximately $61,000 by 9 p.m. yesterday (19th). However, Su Wen’s doctors are still uncertain about when he can return home. The fundraising link is: https://shorturl.at/Iqlkc