A mother wailed and sobbed as her son and his friend were sentenced to 15 years in prison for a “vicious” stabbing attack on two defenseless teens walking home from a date in Brooklyn last year.
The mom’s cries did not sway the judge, who said Yi Qiu, 24, was part of a merciless group that chose their young victims at random for a sidewalk beating and stabbing in Sunset Park in January 2011.
“They were set upon by what could be described as a wolf pack,” said Supreme Court Judge Vincent Del Giudice.
Qiu and Jin Zheng, 20, sat expressionless as the judge read their sentences following a guilty verdict for first- and second-degree assault, and on a separate charge of gang assault.
They were acquitted of attempted murder.
Victim Eric Wong’s injuries were described as severe and permanent. As the group set upon them, prosecutors said, Wong, now 21, initially tried to protect his date and outrun the men, only to be knocked into garbage bins and repeatedly punched, kicked and stabbed.
Wong survived 13 stab wounds from a five-inch kitchen knife and two punctured lungs. His date, Min Yue Chen, now 20, tried to intervene and was stabbed in the leg. Both took the stand during the trial to describe the attack.