Suspect in FDNY beatdown claims he was defending friend

The teen accused of attacking an off-duty FDNY firefighter who told them to stop harassing an elderly couple on the Upper East Side claimed Thursday that he and his pals are the real victims.

“He assaulted my friend and I had to defend my friend,” insisted Damir Johnson, 17, as he was led into Manhattan Criminal Court for his assault arraignment, wearing a white T-shirt with a black and gray Reebok design.

The teen — who is also named in court documents as “Diamar Johnson” — was earlier walked from the 19th Precinct station house, where he faced jeers and hard stares from about 75 uniformed FDNY members.

Johnson was allegedly among a half-dozen teens hassling an elderly couple on East 86th Street near Second Avenue on Saturday morning, authorities said.

When an off-duty smoke-eater saw what was going on, he stepped in and told Johnson and his friends — two boys and three girls, who a source said are not expected to face charges — to knock it off.

But instead, they turned their attention to the firefighter, with Johnson allegedly knocking him to the ground then punching and stomping him, leaving him with a concussion and several broken teeth, cops said.

The victim declined comment to The Post via phone on Thursday.

Thanks to an anonymous CrimeStoppers tip, Johnson was nabbed at his Manhattan home on Wednesday night, marking his fourth arrest this year, cops said.

He was busted twice in January for robbery and grand larceny, then for a second robbery on May 9 — just nine days before he and his friends allegedly attacked the firefighter, police sources said.

In that incident, Johnson allegedly swiped two cookies and a doughnut from a Kips Bay 7-Eleven, socking the owner when he tried to stop the theft, according to court filings.

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Prosecutors requested $20,000 bail in that case, but Johnson was instead granted supervised release.

Additional reporting by Larry Celona and Allie Griffin