Police Search For Chelsea Slashing Suspect
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police are looking for a man who attacked another man in Chelsea with a razor on Thursday, slashing him all over his body.
As CBS2's Reena Roy reported, cellphone footage released by the NYPD shows two men fighting during broad daylight in the busy neighborhood.
"I was working in a restaurant," said witness Jai Wang. "Suddenly, I heard a lot of people screaming."
Police sources told CBS2 the suspect crouched to hide behind a parked car around 5:30 p.m. The 27-year-old victim told investigators he was walking down the street after working out at a gym when suddenly the suspect came at him, throwing him against a wall. Punches were thrown, and then, sources said, the suspect pulled out a razor, slashing the victim repeatedly.
"We heard two ambulances," said witness John Jay Wang. "And I saw someone getting carried into it, and I started asking, 'What happened? What happened?'"
Investigators arrived to 158 W. 29th St. near Seventh Avenue to find the victim bleeding all over, with cuts to his arms, back and even face.
"I walk by here every day, so it really surprised me when they said it was 29th and Seventh because I work right down the street here," said Mary Mercer, of Chelsea. "I would never have expected something like that to happen here."
The victim was rushed to the hospital after the suspect ran away down Seventh Avenue. The suspect is described as a black male, about 6 feet 6 inches tall with a slim build and 25 to 30 years old. He was last seen wearing a blue shirt, sweatpants, red sneakers and black gloves.
The NYPD was dusting windows for fingerprints and scouring the area for any clues Friday. Sources say it's still unclear what the exact motive was, but it may have to do with a prior run-in between the two men at their gym nearby.
Police say the victim is in serious but stable condition at a hospital.
"I feel sorry for the person who's in the hospital, and I hope that he certainly recovers and I hope that they get the guy who did it to him," Mercer said.
