HARLEM, NY — A Harlem man has died weeks after being assaulted by a group of people cruising along 125th Street on dirt bikes, according to police.
Arthur Cooke, 45, was driving his car eastbound along 125th Street about 10 p.m. on Nov. 4, when about 30 ATV and dirt-bike riders surrounded him between Fifth and Madison avenues, police said. All Terrain Utility Vehicle
One of the riders struck Cooke's passenger side mirror, causing him to pull over and get out of his car to inspect the damage, the NYPD said.
As Cooke stood outside the car, members of the dirt-bike and ATV crew surrounded him and began to beat him, with one brandishing a gun, police said.
Cooke was rushed to Harlem Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries two weeks later on Nov. 18, police said. He lived on Saint Nicholas Avenue, less than a mile from the site of the assault, according to authorities.
In a GoFundMe launched by a coworker before Cooke's death, coworker Noel Diaz sought to raise money for his friend's medical expenses, and said Cooke had been "on a date with his significant other" when he was attacked.
"Arthur is a great man who is an active member of his community," Diaz wrote. "He is a man that is full of laughs and full of hope."
Another man who was apparently uninvolved in the assault drove Cooke's car away from the scene after the attack, police say.
Cooke's death has now been ruled a homicide, according to police. Nobody has been arrested, but an investigation is ongoing.
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