An off-duty FDNY firefighter was busted for allegedly beating a stranger with a cane as tensions flared close to Occasions Sq. early Tuesday — a part of a 24-hour spurt of violence across the vacationer hotspot, cops stated.
Lexiano Harris, 32, allegedly attacked a 51-year-old man with a cane throughout a struggle at forty second Avenue and Eight Avenue round 3:30 a.m., leaving the sufferer with a reduce and a scrape on his cheek, police stated.
Harris was charged with assault, felony possession of a weapon and felony possession of a managed substance, authorities stated.
The pre-dawn unrest got here lower than 24 hours after one other assault within the coronary heart of the Crossroads of the World.
At round 4 a.m. Monday, a 30-year-old man was slashed on the appropriate facet of his face at forty seventh Avenue and Seventh Avenue. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital in secure situation and refused to cooperate with investigators, in keeping with cops and sources.
Two males fled the scene after the knifing, however no suspects had been publicly recognized and a motive hasn’t been decided, cops stated.
For Harris, Tuesday’s incident marked his fourth arrest in three months.
He was additionally busted twice in separate assaults on August 16 and one other time on July 13 for allegedly threatening a 30-year-old man with a knife at Eighth Avenue close to West thirty third Avenue, police stated.
Within the first August case, he allegedly punched a 54-year-old man a number of instances throughout a struggle on Eighth Avenue close to West forty second Avenue, leaving him with a fractured proper ankle, swelling to his proper eye and bleeding and bruising on his mouth, police stated.
Within the second incident, Harris allegedly punched and kicked a 31-year-old man throughout a brawl on West thirty ninth Avenue close to Eighth Avenue, cops stated.
“The Division is conscious of all of his arrests,” the FDNY stated in a press release. “He’s at present suspended with out pay. The member will face additional disciplinary prices as soon as his case is adjudicated within the court docket of regulation.”
Felony assaults within the confines of the NYPD’s Midtown South precinct, which covers Occasions Sq., have jumped about 7% to 400 from the 373 reported throughout the identical interval in 2024, in keeping with the newest NYPD information, up to date Sunday.
Nevertheless total felony crime inside the precinct’s boundaries is down by practically 10% this yr, the statistics present.
Vacationers passing by way of the buzzing space Tuesday had combined emotions about security.
“We arrived on Friday and thus far we’ve felt protected, however sure areas not a lot,” stated Mili Montora, who was visiting from London. “Once we [came] from the airport we needed to take the subway, after which that’s once we had been like, ‘Perhaps we must always simply name a cab.’ That’s when it felt a bit dodgy.
“However while you’re in a public space like Occasions Sq. it feels fairly protected [to] speak to anybody they usually’ll assist you out. Everybody has been actually pleasant.”
Karina Jones, 47, visiting the Huge Apple from the Midwest for a piece journey, stated she felt “good” and “protected” wandering town within the daytime.
“However at evening I don’t understand how I might really feel doing that,” Jones stated. “I deliberately didn’t do lots of analysis as a result of I knew I used to be gonna be on my own for a piece journey so I simply know what I do know from mass media and all the things.”
Shut to a different vacationer hotspot additional south, two males, 40 and 43, slashed one another throughout a conflict on board a southbound No. 4 practice approaching the Union Sq. station round 6 a.m. Tuesday, authorities stated.
The youthful man, Marcus Davis, was reduce on the neck, abdomen and proper arm, and the older sufferer, Robin A. Florentino Valdez, on the left leg. Each had been taken to Bellevue Hospital in secure situation and later every charged with assault, felony possession of a weapon and menacing, cops stated.
Each males are from The Bronx however didn’t beforehand know one another, police stated.
The assaults come a couple of week after a 23-year-old man was repeatedly stabbed by a stranger in a broad-daylight unprovoked assault as he stepped off a Bronx MTA bus final week, cops stated.
The sufferer was getting off the BX9 bus because the doorways opened on the East Fordham and East Kingsbridge Highway cease round 9:30 a.m. Sept. 2 when the assailant knifed him a number of instances within the again and left arm, police stated.
He was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, the place he was listed in secure situation.
The NYPD launched a photograph of the still-at-large perp, final seen sporting a grey hooded sweatshirt, blue denims, and a black backpack.
Anybody with data on the assault is requested to name the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
The general public may submit their suggestions by logging onto the CrimeStoppers web site at on X @NYPDTips.
