Identity twist in NYC hammer attack? DA investigating if Canadian wrongly IDed
August 09, 2012 - 3:02 AM
NEW YORK, N.Y. - There may be an identity twist involving a Canadian in the case of a man charged with abruptly beating a stranger in the head with a hammer in a New York City park.
A person familiar with the case tells The Associated Press that the Manhattan district attorney's office is looking into whether the man gave authorities a phoney identity.
He provided the same full name and birthdate of a chess master in Canada, 43-year-old John Yoos (YOHSS') of Vancouver.
The person spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the person wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
The Legal Aid Society is representing the suspect and had no immediate comment.
The Canadian chess player says he knew nothing about the July 30 attack until Monday. A friend saw a news report about it.
News from © The Associated Press, 2012