On Saturday, two New York police officers saw a man on video surveillance who met the wanted person’s description of the subway attacks, Deputy Chief Brian McGee, commander of the Manhattan North detective office, said during a phone call. media on Sunday.
The man was found with a knife and taken into custody, McGee said, adding that the expertise will be used to determine whether the knife was used as a weapon in the attacks.
CNN is not disclosing the name of the man publicly identified by the NYPD at this time, and is trying to identify his lawyer. His criminal record includes assaulting a police officer, possession of a controlled substance, contempt and criminal assault, said McGee.
The man was charged with one counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder.
All four victims of the subway attacks were made homeless and the attacks appear to have been unprovoked, McGee said.
MTA asks 1,000 police to patrol subways
The Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA), a transportation network that includes New York City subways and bus lines, has requested that 1,000 more NYPD officers be assigned to the Transit Bureau to “patrol subways and buses immediately” as a result of the stabbings.
Foye and Feinberg wrote that they praised the NYPD’s work that led to the arrest and prosecution of the 21-year-old man and the 500 additional police officers assigned to patrol the subway system over the weekend, however, they believe “more is needed”.
“The fact is that we all see a disturbing trend above and below ground, which, as you know, started before the pandemic, and has now been exacerbated by the acute mental health crisis we face,” the letter said.
Transport executives cite low passenger numbers and high crime statistics as one reason to protect MTA employees from aggression and called on the city to expand mental health services to the transport system.
“The reality is that while we provide transport for millions, we simply cannot serve as providers of social services, nor do we have the necessary in-depth knowledge,” they wrote.
Stabbings left 2 dead, 2 injured
The four attacks occurred on Line A, a subway line that connects northern Manhattan to Queens, said Shea.
In addition to the two deaths, two other victims are recovering from their injuries.
The attacks began on Friday morning, when a 67-year-old man was stabbed by a stranger inside the 181 Street station in Manhattan and then treated at a nearby hospital, NYPD transit chief Kathleen O’Reilly told reporters. .
An adult man was found dead “stabbed in the neck and torso” on train A at Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue train station in Queens on Friday around 11:30 pm, O’Reilly said.
Approximately two hours later, on Saturday, an unconscious 44-year-old woman was found inside a train car at Inwood 207 Street station in Manhattan with “multiple stabs,” according to O’Reilly. The woman was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead, O’Reilly said.
Less than 20 minutes after the incident, police responded to calls about a 43-year-old man who was stabbed at the 181st street police station. He told police that he was stabbed by an unknown man and taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery. , according to McGee.