A 46-year-old Bronx man was charged with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing two elderly men multiple times on a subway car in Woodside earlier this month, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Monday.
In addition to the attempted murder charge, Patrick Chambers was charged with multiple counts of assault and criminal possession of a weapon for the allegedly unprovoked attack on the two seniors.
On Sunday, July 5, around 7:25 a.m., Chambers was on a train at the intersection of 52nd Street and Roosevelt Avenue holding a pair of scissors in one hand and a knife in the other, when he began to yell at a 71-year-old man sitting across from him, according to the charges.
Chambers then got up and stabbed the man, who fell to the floor, Katz said. A 73-year-old man who was also on the train attempted to stop the attack, the DA said. Chambers then stabbed the good Samaritan in his chest and wrist, according to the charges.
After stabbing the two men, Chambers darted off into another train car. He was arrested by NYPD officers when the train pulled into 52nd Street-Lincoln Avenue station, according to authorities. Officers found a knife with blood on it inside Chambers’ pocket, Katz said. Police also found a pair of scissors inside a pool of blood inside the subway car where the attack occurred, according to the DA.
Both victims were taken to Elmhurst Hospital in stable condition, Katz said.
“The defendant in this case is accused of stabbing a 71-year-old man in an unprovoked attack on the train. When another commuter tried to intervene, he too was viciously assaulted,” Katz said “This was a senseless act of violence that put both victims at grave risk. The defendant is in custody and will be held accountable for his alleged actions.”
If convicted, Chambers faces up to 25 years in prison.
