NEW YORK – The man accused of slitting his throat and killing a subway passenger aboard an L train in Brooklyn was arrested and charged with murder, police said.
And it’s not the suspect’s first meeting with law enforcement for a violent crime, as the suspect, identified as Alvin Charles, has a long criminal history.
Charles faces a murder charge in the September 30 fatal accident at Atlantic Avenue Station in East New York around 9:00 p.m. The 43-year-old suspect, who police said was homeless, told reporters nothing when officers took him away in handcuffs Wednesday night. After getting into the police vehicle, he kissed the cameras.
Police said Charles and Tommy Bailey were on the L train when they had some sort of dispute. It was then that Charles pulled out a knife and hit Bailey, a father of three, in the neck.
Bailey, who worked as a steam fitter for Local 638, was rushed to Brookdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The reason for the dispute and the fatal stabbing wasn’t immediately clear, but a longtime friend of Bailey’s said he was the kind of person who stands up for others.
“He was on his way home from work and it looks like he met the wrong person on the train and was murdered,” said his friend Tom Kelly, who worked alongside Bailey for several years. The two talked on the phone minutes before the deadly encounter.
“The last thing he told me at 8:41 pm was that he was on the train and was killed at 8:45 pm, they say, not even five minutes later,” Kelly said to our sister station NBC New York, without saying anything. indicated that something was wrong. “We can’t believe it happened, it’s a tragedy and it’s stupid. He has three children that he left behind, they are young and heartbroken.”
Bailey’s friends have been devastated by the loss and there’s a lot of outrage too. That’s because you said the suspect, Charles, has a violent history.
According to law enforcement sources, documents show that Charles was arrested in the summer of 2021 and was to be charged with attempted murder. He was also charged with threats, attempted assault, threats and possession of weapons. He was due to return to court later in October.
The circumstances of that case and why he was on the street are still unclear, but they have left friends and family angry and confused.
“I’m still trying to get over it, it doesn’t even make sense,” said Omari Barnett. “It’s a dangerous world we live in.”
“We have already identified dozens of cameras that the NYPD believes will help investigate this senseless crime and will continue to assist investigators with video and in any other way possible to ensure the perpetrator is caught,” he said. Tim Minton.
While the number of homicides in the subway system is roughly the same as last year, the number of serious crimes in transit has increased by almost 49% compared to 2021.
An investigation is ongoing.
