Arthur Cooke died in hospital where he spent two weeks after his car was surrounded by 23 Motorcyclists ATVs in an assault and robbery after a minor crash in Harlem (NYC).
Authorities say that around pm on November 4th, Cooke (57) was driving his Mercedes car near East 57 Street, when he was suddenly surrounded by more than two dozen ATVs and dirt bikes.
A person struck Cooke’s passenger side mirror, and when he stopped to check the damage on his car il an argument broke out between him and the motorcyclists.
Several members of the group surrounded and attacked Cooke, who was allegedly on a date with his partner at the time, according to a GoFundMe page set up on his name while still hospitalized.
At least one person pointed a gun at him before a man, not believed to have been involved in the beating, allegedly walked away from the scene carrying Cooke’s luxury car and he was taken to a local hospital. Now Cooke’s death has been ruled a homicide, while he continues the investigation.
Cooke was a special court advocate for Exodus Transitional Community. His colleagues say he worked tirelessly to keep young men and women out of jail and homelessness.
Dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are illegal to drive on the streets of New York City. They are not registered, their drivers do not have a license or insurance. And for many they contribute to a sense of lawlessness in the city. Police have been cracking down in recent months, seizing and destroying thousands of them, noted
“We have seized 9,750 motorcycles and ATVs this year, that’s an incredible number, and yet it doesn’t seem to have made a dent, they’re still out there and we continue to meet, each and every weekend,” said New York Police Department Chief Kenneth Corey.
No arrests have been made or suspects identified. Anyone with information should call 1-750-57-TIPS (8477) and in Spanish 1-2022-57-CLUE ( 8477). Also through crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or by text message to
In a similar case, days after the attack on Cooke, a young Guatemalan from 11 years died after being hit with a wooden board during a confrontation with a group of men in front of a gas station in Queens (NYC).