Suspect arrested in brutal beating of elderly professor

Cops arrested the man who beat an 87-year-old Lehman College professor nearly to death inside an Upper West Side bank vestibule, authorities said Wednesday night.

Matthew Lee, 50, was picked up around 10 p.m. Wednesday and charged with robbery and assault for Sunday’s attack.

Lee approached Young Kun Kim from behind around 4:30 p.m. as he used an ATM inside a CitiBank on Broadway near the corner of 101st Street, according to video posted to Twitter by the NYPD’s 24th Precinct.

He punched Kim in the head, stole cash and then fled.

The professor was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was listed in “extremely critical condition” and placed on life support.

“Dear God,” tweeted Lehman College Associate Dean Christopher Malone on Tuesday. “This is Lehman professor Young Kun Kim. His son tells me is in a coma and in palliative care. Our hearts weep. He is the most peaceful person on this planet.”

Lee has one prior arrest, for an assault in 1984, police said.

He is expected to be arraigned in court Thursday.

“The Lehman College campus community is heartbroken over the senseless assault that left our beloved faculty member Young Kun Kim in critical condition. Dr. Kim, an associate professor of political science, recently celebrated 50 years of exemplary service to the college,” said a school representative in a statement. “We pray for his recovery and for his family and loved ones.”