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Woman Who Slashed A Train Riders Turns Herself In
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Dec 29, 2015
Modified Dec 29, 2015
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Dec 29, 2015
Modified Dec 29, 2015
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The woman who was captured on video slashing straphangers on an A train two weeks ago has turned herself in. Merci Chrisette, 28, surrendered to NYPD detectives this morning in Williamsburg.
In the video of the incident, the woman police say is Chrisette pulls a knife and tells a man, "Do you want a clue of what's going to happen when I get off this train? I'm going to cut you and I'm going to get away with it." She then slashes him and his female companion on their faces before another rider restrains her; both of them sustained minor injuries and refused medical attention at the scene.
Chrisette is charged with felony assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and reckless endangerment. An NYPD spokesperson said Chrisette has at least two prior assault charges, one for felony assault this past April in Brooklyn after she allegedly punched a man in his chest and struck him in the hand with a broomstick, and another for pepper spraying someone in the face in June of 2014.
In a Facebook post last week, Chrisette said that she was “not normally a violent person,” and that “there was more to this story that was not captured in the beginning,” adding that she hoped “that in the future society learns to be kind toward the LGBT community because WE are human as well.”
The female victim in the case told Gothamist that "there was nothing of [the LGBTQ community] referred to during the whole situation."
Chrisette’s lawyer, who was with her client when she turned herself in, declined to comment. After Chrisette hugged and kissed her friends outside a Hooper Street coffeeshop, detectives handcuffed her and led her into a van. “Be nice to the police officers!” one friend called.
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Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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