Dec 18, 2005 12:34 am US/Eastern
Elder Braunstein: My Son Is A Sick Genius
'Fake Firefighter' Recovering In Tennessee Hospital
by Tanya Rivero
CHELSEA (CBS) ―
People are breathing a sigh of relief in Chelsea now that fugitive Peter Braunstein is in police custody.
Wanted for questioning in connection with a Halloween sexual assault in which he allegedly masqueraded as a firefighter to gain access to a woman's apartment, Braunstein was apprehended Saturday afternoon in Tennessee following a seven-week odyssey in which he repeatedly eluded police.
"I grew up on this block my whole life, so it's good to feel safe again," Chelsea resident Ricki Grater said.
Added resident Steven Dupler: "People were worried. I mean, there was always the chance that he might come back."
That chance is a lot slimmer now that Braunstein is in police custody. An employee at the University of Memphis spotted the fugitive on campus Saturday afternoon, and called police.
Rather than surrender, police say the 42-year-old stabbed himself repeatedly in the neck, despite being doused with pepper spray. He now is recovering in a Tennessee hospital.
CBS 2 caught up with Braunstein's father outside his mid-town art gallery, as he prepared to leave for Memphis.
"He's got mental problems," Alberto Braunstein said. "They have vilified him in the press. I mean America's most wanted? You'd think that he killed half a dozen people. He did not rape the woman. I'm not minimizing what he has committed, but they blew it totally out of proportion."
The elder Braunstein has this explanation for the media's fascination with his son:
"You've got a genius on your hands," Alberto Braunstein said. "He just snapped. He couldn't take the rejection. He's very sick mentally, and he needs help."
In the Halloween incident, Peter Braunstein allegedly bound and molested the woman for more than 13 hours. Investigators say he knew his victim, a former co-worker.
(© MMV, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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