#Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa fractures jaw fighting off Soho looters

Curtis Sliwa suffered a fractured jaw as he and his Guardian Angels confronted hammer-wielding looters in Manhattan earlier this week.

The 66-year-old founder of the civilian crime-fighting crew and his fellow red berets rushed to Footlocker in Soho Tuesday night after getting word that looters were running amok.

The Angels got the young men to drop their stolen goods but they returned two hours later — with 100 others in tow.

“I got hit,” Sliwa told Fox News about the showdown. “But we don’t back down, and we don’t surrender or retreat. We don’t have guns or weapons, but we all have martial arts training, and we do get physical if we have to.”

Sliwa and his crew stood guard outside Footlocker throughout the night as looters armed with items like hammers, lock cutters and baseball bats attempted to raid the sneaker store.

“They started swinging at us,” Sliwa recalled. “But we were not going to let them get inside. We were slamming and jamming quite a few of them. They were throwing glass bottles filled with liquids, as well as bricks and rocks. It was quite the battle.”

Sliwa was treated at Bellevue Hospital for a linear fracture of the jaw, while fellow Angel Aram Sabet suffered a broken eye socket and broken nose. Sabet received 48 stitches.

The well-known crime fighter said bail reform played a role in the spate of violent looting amid the George Floyd protests in the city.

“It has almost become a badge of courage for [the looters],” Sliwa said. “They get out in a few hours, and get to tell their friends they got written up. It’s like earning their stripes.”

The Post reported that a majority of 400 people arrested for allegedly looting Monday night would be cut loose without bail under the state law passed earlier this year.

Sliwa said despite his injuries, he and his Angels — who have also been protecting Asians against hate crimes and caring for the homeless amid the coronavirus pandemic — weren’t deterred.

“We train for these kinds of things. We won’t fold. We are defiant,” he said. “We want to make a difference in these neighborhoods.”