A masked 18-year-old, Brandon Balfour, is accused of attacking a nonverbal woman with a kitchen knife on a New York City train in Lower Manhattan. Allegedly, Balfour slashed the victim after she refused to give up her bag.
Videos by Suggest
As reported by the New York Post, citing authorities, the incident occurred at around 11:10 p.m. on Wednesday, August 6. A criminal complaint obtained by the outlet detailed how the woman, 29, who only communicates via writing, felt that the masked Balfour was looking at her in a “strange” manner.
The woman tried to exit the No. 3 train, but Balfour allegedly followed her and demanded her bag. Otherwise, he would stab her, court documents alleged. The woman refused, and Balfour allegedly used a kitchen knife to slash the victim’s left arm, elbow, hands, and back.
Balfour, after allegedly leaving the woman bloodied and calling for help, took the woman’s cellphone and fled the scene, ditching the knife, the documents alleged.
Extensive Surgery, Suspect Arrested
The woman, who remains unnamed, was transported to Bellevue Hospital, having suffered multiple stab wounds. The complaint detailed that Balfour’s alleged slashes had “pierced her diaphragm, causing her internal organs to shift.”
Officials cited by The Post revealed that she had to undergo “significant and extensive surgery” to survive her stabbing injuries.
Two days after allegedly stabbing the woman, Brandon Balfour was arrested on Friday, August 8, at a shelter in Jamaica, Queens. Allegedly, the yellow mask he wore during the attack and a bloodied cellphone were found with him during his arrest.
On Sunday, August 10, Balfour was arraigned on charges including second-degree attempted murder, assault, and robbery. He was ordered to be held without bail and will appear in court on Thursday, August 14.
According to Fox 5, this is the second incident of its kind that took place at an NYC train station. At Chelsea on Tuesday, August 5, 21-year-old Carlos River allegedly stabbed a 25-year-old woman in the back. He was subsequently arrested and charged with attempted murder and assault.
Meanwhile, also on Tuesday, August 5, a 94-year-old man was allegedly punched in the face by a random man inside an Upper East Side Apple Store.