A knife pulled during a late-night subway dispute was ripped away and used against two women aboard a Manhattan train early Friday morning, two senior NYPD officials said.
Police say the altercation began shortly before 2 a.m. on a northbound 2 train on its way into the 96th Street station on the Upper West Side. A man, later identified as Troy Tyrell, allegedly approached the two women and made comments about their relationship and gender, the officials said.
It was then that police say things turned physical and one of the women pulled out a knife, brandishing it in front of Tyrell. Police officials said he was able to grab the blade and slash both women before feeling the station.
Nearby police stationed in the area were able to identify Tyrell from witness cell phone video and take him into custody within a matter of hours, according to police. He was taken to Harlem Hospital for evaluation, and was charged with assault as a hate crime.
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Both women were treated for injuries -- the woman who pulled the knife was slashed on her eyebrow and wrist, the other was cut on her ear. They were said to be in stable condition at last check.
Police said the woman who pulled the knife was arrested on a weapon charge and menacing.
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With the return of 24/7 subway services and other easing of pandemic restrictions in recent weeks, assaults and shootings also increased compared to the same time last year. Felony assaults saw a 20.5% increase and shooting incidents increased to 173 from 100 in May 2020.
According to police, Friday morning's slashing is the fourth knife attack in the last two days.
On Thursday, a 32-year-old man was knifed following a verbal dispute at the Central Park North Station. As the knife-wielding suspect fled, he slashed another victim before he disappeared.
The department's data shows that transit crimes have nearly doubled, from 87 to 168, compared to the same time last year when the city was hit hard by the coronavirus.
