Woman Slashed By Man With Machete In Bryant Park; Suspect Charged
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A man wielding a machete attacked a woman in Bryant Park on Tuesday morning, police said.
A suspect has been arrested and charged.
The incident took place at around 11:33 a.m. As CBS2's Lou Young reported, exclusive video showed the victim conscious, but in shock, after being deeply slashed twice on the right arm with the machete.
CBS2 is told the woman – identified as Korean tourist Im Soohyeoung, had just finished teaching a yoga class when her attacker came up from behind.
The woman suffered a substantial gash to her right arm and was rushed to Bellevue Hospital Center, authorities said.
Woman Slashed By Man With Machete In Bryant Park
"Insane," one woman said near the scene. "Absolutely insane."
The suspect was pursued by Bryant Park security, who waved down police.
Police took down the suspected slasher, Frederick Young of Harlem, on the 40th Street side of Bryant Park.
The aftermath of the incident was caught on video: (credit: www.michaelmunevar.com)
On the steps leading to the sidewalk, police patted the suspect down and put on the cuffs.
He seemed to offer no resistance.
"Guns were drawn – everything. It was crazy," said one man named Kyle. "I'm really glad he's off the streets."
Frederick Young, 43, was charged with assault early Tuesday evening in the incident.
People enjoying the park said it's a reminder of what can happen in the big city.
"I always forget that that sort of thing happens so close to where I am all the time," one woman told WCBS 880's Jim Smith.
And while the crime itself is unsettling to many, but many further found the choice of weapon absolutely unnerving, CBS2's Young reported.
"You see the machete, and it's all rusty, except for the blade, which is sharpened -- and then you see the guy, and you're like, this guy was walking around Manhattan for who knows how long with a machete," said witness Muhaimen Ahmed.
The long knives are not uncommon. One was used in a road rage attack in the Holland Tunnel just last week, but they are more benignly familiar as a brush-clearing tool for anyone who has spent time in the tropics.
"I did the Peace Corps in Panama, so I used to have my own machete," said Daniella Ferrera.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said he believes the suspect has 23 prior arrests, including in 2010 for menacing with a machete.
"This is ridiculous. That's absurd," a passerby said.
The popular park -- the former home of New York Fashion Week -- has seen violence before.
Police said the gunman was a 16-year-old who had tried to rob one of the victims of his coat. The suspect, now 18, has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder.
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