Exclusive video shows of the owner of Barbershop D2 in Sheepshead Bay, who placed a full-size photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin in his store window, being assaulted by a customer before fleeing the store.
Dilshod Ahmedov says the man took issue with the photo and told him to take it down and got angry with him over the subject of the war in Ukraine.
"He said how many children [Putin] has killed I told him I would take it down, and he hit me," Ahmedov said.
Ahmedov was captured on camera later in the day yelling at protesters who had gathered outside of his store, including threatening people with a razor blade and pushing a man telling him to stop saying antisemitic statements.
"He can have that inside his business, but having that on the outside, that is a provocation in this neighborhood," said Vlad Spector, who Ahmedov pushed while he recorded his tirade outside of the businesses Tuesday afternoon.
According to police, an intoxicated Ahmedov was taken by ambulance to a hospital following the encounter, but did not face charges.
He tells News 12 he does not apologize for what he said.
"All the businesses now is bad because Ukraine guys do like this," he said.
The signs have since been removed from the front of the store, with nearby businesses telling News 12 the scene Tuesday scared customers and left them receiving angry phone calls from people thinking they were the barbershop.
Police say they are searching for the man seen in the video attacking Ahmedov, who faces felony assault chargers.