Man Bashed With Hammer, Thrown Onto Subway Tracks By Attacker Yelling Anti-Gay Slur, Police Say
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A 21-year-old man was bashed with a hammer and thrown onto the subway tracks in an anti-gay attack Friday morning in the Bronx, police said.
It happened at around 1:10 a.m. at the Tremont Avenue D trains stop in Mount Hope.
Police said the victim was on the platform when the suspect approached him, yelled an anti-gay slur and hit him with the hammer.
The victim was hit in the armpit. The suspect then threw the victim onto the tracks. The victim was able to climb back up to the platform before the train arrived. The suspect ran off.
The victim was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital with minor injuries including a cut to his eyebrow.
The incident is being investigated as a hate crime.
The attack comes as part of a spate of violent incidents in the subway system since Wednesday. Thursday afternooon, there was a slashing in the subway in Morningside Heights. Thursday morning, water was thrown in the face of a conductor in Brooklyn and two 15-year-olds were stabbed the Bronx. A conductor was slapped in Brooklyn Wednesday night and Wednesday afternoon a couple was attacked in Jamaica.
Web Extra: Corey Johnson on subway crime
New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson spoke about subway crime Friday on CBSN New York.
Johnson says while the city has brought down major crime, there's still work to be done.
"It's really great that we have the lowest homicide numbers that this city's ever seen, this year and last year. But still, if people feel unsafe in their community, on the subway, we need to make sure we are doing more to combat that," he said.
Johnson said it's important the city look at the root of crime, and that means in part getting people the treatment they need if they are mentally ill.
NYPD numbers show some subway crimes are on the rise.
For example, from Jan. 1 to Nov. 17, there were 1,185 transit misdemeanor assaults citywide. That's a 10.9% jump from the same time in 2018.
In a statement earlier this week, the MTA said the NYPD's numbers reflect the continued need to protect employees and customers.
Back in September, the agency said it would be hiring 500 additional transit police officers.
