Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

News

Times Square "Weed Man" Arrested After Stabbing Times Square "Beer Man"

By

Ben Yakas

Published Jun 22, 2013

Modified Jun 30, 2013

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

One of the many Weed Men of Times Square, but apparently not the one in this incident

 

bondidwhat's flickr

By

Ben Yakas

Published Jun 22, 2013

Modified Jun 30, 2013

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Times Square may typically resemble a nightmare Epcot Center filled with marauding gangs of copyrighted characters, but sometimes it's the humans you need to worry about the most. According to police, a "Weed Man" of Times Square got into a physical altercation with the "Beer Man" of Times Square, who is known for carrying a sign reading "I need beer." And Alien and Predator were called in as witnesses!

According to NY1, this "Weed Man" stabbed Wayne Semancik (aka "Beer Man") during a panhandling turf dispute around 10:15 p.m. at 42nd Street near 7th Avenue. Semancik told them that "Weed Man" (apparently Dwight Laird) spit in his face: "When you spit in my face, darling, I'm going to hit you. I don't care who you are, how big you are, I'm going to hit you," Semancik said. "So the man, he pulled out a pen because I was hitting him, and he started stabbing me in the face, and I have five stab wounds in my face right now."

Laird was arrested, but it's not clear what he's been charged with. But at least one truly good thing came out of this whole brouhaha: Alien and Predator have finally learned to work together! Although, the kid in the bottom right of the photo above seems a bit suspicious about this unholy union.

Note: There's another the notorious "Weed Man" of Times Square.

Tagged

beer man

dwight laird

manhattan

Times Square

Wayne Semancik

weed man

Ben Yakas

Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE news

Trash containers take over Brooklyn parking spaces as NYC gets garbage bags off sidewalks

The trash revolution is alive and well in some of Brooklyn's busiest neighborhoods.

By

Liam Quigley

Published Oct 29, 2026 at 3:55 p.m. ET

Mamdani says he's 'confident' NYC will collect $500 million with pied-à-terre tax

The city’s Department of Finance granted more than 8,800 of the roughly 11,000 exemption applications.

By

Elizabeth Kim

and

David Brand

News

Mamdani says he's 'confident' NYC will collect $500 million with pied-à-terre tax

The city’s Department of Finance granted more than 8,800 of the roughly 11,000 exemption applications.

By

Elizabeth Kim

and

David Brand

NYPD won't enforce NYC's bus fare while MTA security force is suspended

By

Clayton Guse

and

Ramsey Khalifeh

15-year-old boy shot and killed Thursday morning in the Bronx, NYPD says

By

Charles Lane

How NYC voters could determine outcome of race for governor

By

Jon Campbell

Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .