Father, son plead not guilty to baseball bat attack on neighbor's landscaper in Massapequa Park
Nassau County police said the two attackers lived next door to the home where the landscaper was working.
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A landscaper is recovering after a father and son attacked him with a wooden rod and a metal baseball bat during a dispute in Massapequa Park yesterday afternoon.
The victim, identified by his brother as Tony Ayala, was hired to do work on a lawn at 219 Grant St. when a verbal argument started between him and two men who live next door at 213 Grant St., Nassau County police said.
According to Nassau County police, the fight escalated from verbal to physical when the two suspects, identified as Brian McKeon, 67 and his son Brian McKeon Jr., 34, struck the victim multiple times with the rod and bat just before 2 p.m.
According to the victim's brother, Ayala suffered bruises all over his body, along with injuries to his collarbone, left arm and hand.
"Is my brother going to make it?" the victim's brother, Christopher Ayala said. "My brother is not going to be OK after this. He's not gonna be the same person after today. His health is in jeopardy."
Officials haven't said what sparked the altercation, but defense attorney Brian Griffin said in court that this was an ongoing dispute between the landscaper and Mckeons dating back to last year.
"The Mckeons tried repeatedly to de-escalate and unfortunately, this complainant had a different thought in mind," Griffin said. "This will all play out in court and we're going to fight these charges. The facts will come out."
Both men pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
