Police: Riverside man charged with crime after severely beating another man at State Fisheries Access Area on West Main Street

Riverhead police say they arrested a man on suspicion of assault, possession of a weapon and criminal damage last night in connection with an attack at a fishing spot near 1129 West Main Street.

According to a police press release, officers received a 911 call just after 11 p.m. Thursday evening from a 44-year-old man reporting that he had been the victim of violence and needed medical attention.

Police located the man at a state DEC fishing access site and found him bleeding from the face and suffering from several facial and head injuries, according to the report.

The man, who was not identified by police, told officers he was punched in the face by another man armed with a baseball bat, who fled the area on foot before police arrived, police said.

The report says the Riverhead Police K9 unit helped officers locate the suspect in a nearby wooded area. Police said the K9 unit also found evidence possibly used in the crime. Police said the suspect also caused extensive damage to the victim’s vehicle, a 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander, during the attack.

The fishing spot on the Lower Peconic River is located in a secluded area off a narrow, unlit driveway on the south side of West Main Street, approximately across from the Snowflake Ice Cream store. The driveway crosses the Peconic River and leads to the LIPA substation in Peconic Bog County Park.

According to the report, Shurvelle Rush, 47, of Riverhead, was arrested and transported to Riverhead Police Headquarters where he was charged with:

One (1) count of first-degree assault, PL Section 120.10.01, a Class B felony;

One (1) count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, PL Section 265.02.01, a Class D Felony; AND

One (1) count of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, PL Section 145.05.02, a Class E Felony.

He was detained for arraignment at Riverhead Town Court.

The victim was treated at the scene by Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps personnel and transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead, police said. He was then transferred to the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens due to the severity of his injuries, police said.

The investigation is currently ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call Riverhead Police at 631-727-4500.