A homeless man is accused of slashing two men and slapping a third in ten minutes during unprovoked attacks at a Kew Gardens subway station during the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 19.
Tyquan Manassa, 27, a resident of a homeless shelter at Charles Gay Loop on Randalls Island, was arraigned on Friday night at Queens Criminal Court on a criminal complaint charging him with four counts of assault in the first degree, four counts of assault in the second degree and one count of criminal possession of a weapon. Manassa was taken into custody by the NYPD at criminal court in Manhattan on Friday after he was charged with breaking property during a tantrum at the Randall’s Island shelter where he was staying, and police realized he was wanted for the Kew Gardens attacks.
According to the charges, between 3:10 p.m. and 3:25 p.m. on Nov. 19, Manassa — who was dressed in a black jacket, black pants and gray sneakers — approached a 42-year-old man who was waiting on the E and F platform inside the Union Turnpike-Kew Gardens subway station and repeatedly struck the man with a sharp object, causing a laceration to his forehead and ear. Manassa walked away and allegedly slapped another bystander across his face. Shortly afterwards, Manassa approached a 50-year-old man on the platform and allegedly struck the man in the face with a knife, causing bleeding to the victim’s eyebrow, before running out of the subway station.
EMS responded to the scene and transported the first victim to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition and received 16 stitches. The second stabbing victim was transported by EMS to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition and received seven stitches for the injuries he sustained in the attack.
“This random violence is every commuter’s worst nightmare, and we will aggressively prosecute those who cause mayhem on our mass transit system,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
A detective from the Queens Robbery Squad reviewed cell phone video taken by some of the other riders on the platform that captured the assaults, and when he was shown still images from the cell phone videos, Manassa told him, “Yeah, that’s me.” Some of those fellow commuters helped stanch the bleeding of the two victims before first responders arrived.
“As alleged, two victims were simply waiting for the train in Kew Gardens when this defendant approached them and — without provocation — slashed them both in the face,” Katz said. “I thank the good Samaritans who rushed to aid their fellow commuters immediately after this senseless attack and the police who quickly apprehended this defendant.”
The DA’s office requested that Manassa be remanded into custody without bail. Queens Criminal Court Judge Anthony Battisti set bail at $200,000 cash and $350,000 bond. If convicted, Manassa faces up to 25 years in prison.
