What you should know
- An MTA worker was attacked inside a Lower Manhattan subway station just as the morning rush hour began Thursday, the latest in a series of mass transit crimes that have made headlines in recent weeks.
- The incident occurred at the Wall Street station on the 4/5 lines, according to MTA officials. The station worker, who had only a flashlight, was trying to move a man who was sleeping under a bench.
- Then, a surveillance video obtained exclusively by our sister network NBC New York shows the visibly angry man approaching the woman with his arms raised.
NEW YORK — An MTA worker was attacked inside a Lower Manhattan subway station just as the morning rush hour began Thursday, the latest in a series of mass transit crimes that have made headlines on the news. last weeks.
The incident occurred at the Wall Street station on the 4/5 lines, according to MTA officials. The station worker, who had only a flashlight, was trying to move a man who was sleeping under a bench. Then, a surveillance video obtained exclusively by our sister network NBC New York shows the visibly angry man approaching the woman with his arms raised.
Suddenly, he attacks the worker, police said, punching, kicking and pushing the 58-year-old woman to the side of the train car. Another camera angle shows the alleged attacker, identified as Abdellahi Mohammed, grabbing the victim.
He was later charged with felony assault.
MTA officials called the attack on one of their workers unacceptable. A prominent MTA executive expressed his support for the worker.
“Our expectation is that you come to work one way and return home exactly the same way you arrived,” said Demetrius Crichlow, senior vice president of subways. “It’s unacceptable that this happens to someone who is simply trying to do their job.”
New Yorkers riding the train that morning seemed to feel the same way, as several of them jumped on to help the woman. They teamed up to take down the 25-year-old suspect. After she was saved, the crowd of New Yorkers guarded the suspect, making him sit on the platform until police arrived.
The MTA worker was visibly injured, with one of her eyes closed and swollen.
“She’s there to support the customers, and the customers were there to support her,” Crichlow said.
The attack on Wall Street It came after other shocking recent in-transit attacks, including that of the musician hit with a bottle while performing in Herald Square. It also follows a shooting at a Bronx subway station that killed one person and injured five last week. Police have said serious crime on the subway will occur from 2024 compared to 2023.
The addition of cameras in stations and on platforms has helped district attorneys prepare cases.
Prosecutors got a judge to order Mohammed held on $25,000 bail. MTA officials said that if he is convicted, they want to see an actual prison sentence to send a message of deterrence and help protect both riders and MTA workers.
2024-02-16 16:29:33
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