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[UPDATE] Man Goes On Boxcutter Slashing Spree Around Union Square
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 4, 2015
Modified Feb 4, 2015
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NYPD
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 4, 2015
Modified Feb 4, 2015
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UPDATE: The NYPD released this security camera image of the suspect, plus more details below.
Three people were slashed in the face early this morning in the Union Square area by a man brandishing a boxcutter. Police say the suspect, described as a black male in his 20s with a missing tooth, got into a dispute with an unidentified victim on a northbound 4 train at Bleecker Street around 1:30 a.m. During the argument the suspect slashed the man, 31, in the face and fled the train at Union Square.
The suspect left the subway station and soon slashed another man, 51, in the face at 4th Avenue and 13th Street. Both victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital, and while police were interviewing them, a third victim was admitted. He was slashed in the face at 10 Union Square East, by an assailant matching the same description as the other stabbings.
None of the injuries were life-threatening. The suspect remains at large; police say he was last seen wearing a white hooded sweatshirt, black vest, blue jeans and red sneakers.
Update 10:22 a.m.: Investigators say that in addition to slashing the victim on the 4 train, the suspect also punched him in the face. And when he fled Union Square station, he slapped a 20-year-old woman, "causing a physical injury."
According to police, "The suspect then proceeds up the stairs in the vicinity of Food Emporium and encounters a 46-year-old male by the elevator. He asks the male for $2, and when the male refuses, he slashes the right side of his face. The suspect then crosses 14 Street and encounters a 59-year-old male waiting for the M14 bus. The suspect asks this victim for a dollar, and when the male refuses, he is also slashed on the right side of his face."
Update 4:29 p.m.: The NYPD has released more images of the suspect, who remains at large:
(NYPD)
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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