3 Teens Charged In Manhattan Subway Attacks, Police Release Video Of New Suspect Believed To Be Group's Lookout
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Three teenagers were charged in a series of violent attacks on subway riders and police said Saturday they're looking for another suspect.
Sources tell CBS2's Kiran Dhillon two of the three suspects are part of a gang.
NYPD released new surveillance video of a suspect whom police believe served as a lookout while the others carried out a series of unprovoked slashings that left subway riders terrified Friday morning, CBS2's Christina Fan reported.
Police took four teens into custody Friday, but police sources told CBS2 one was released after questioning and not charged.
The surveillance video shows a fifth person wanted in connection to the slashings.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477 or for Spanish, 1-888-577-4782. Tips can also be sent to the NYPDTips Twitter account or submitted online at NYPDCrimeStoppers.com.
Charges against the teens in custody range from assault to robbery to criminal possession of a weapon. The youngest suspect is 16 years old.
There were four attacks throughout the subway system Friday.
Dhillon spoke to the first victim, who said while he's been left traumatized by the ordeal, he's a tough New Yorker and this won't stop him from taking the subway.
The slash below his left eye is about an inch long, but it's the emotional cut that runs especially deep.
"I just didn't think something like this would happen to me," he said.
The 44-year-old New Yorker doesn't want his identity revealed because of safety concerns.
He says he was on the 4 train heading southbound to his job as a retail worker around 4:20 a.m. Friday. Near Union Square, he says two males randomly approached him.
"This guy comes with his knife, 12-inch knife, a kitchen knife and tries to stab me, tries to slash me," he said.
The victim says he tried to fight the attacker off, but he wouldn't stop.
"The second guy, the instigator, came and said to keep doing it, and then that's when he got my face," he said.
After the victim was slashed, he got off at Union Square and got help from police. He was taken to a local hospital, where he received stitches.
Meanwhile, police say the two suspects, along with other young men, continued their attacking spree, four assaults involving razors and knives.
In all, five people were hurt.
Just before 11:30 a.m., officers recognized the group of teen suspects near 79th and Broadway and handcuffed them.
Watch Christina Fan's report --
The assaults are part of a recent surge in violence on the subways.
The NYPD said Thursday it was adding 600 officers to patrol underground, but many commuters say they still don't feel safe.
"Innocent people are being hurt. Hardworking people are being hurt. That's not fair to us," one person said.
"In terms of how I position my body on the platform, like, if there's a billboard standing there, I actually lean my back up against it so I can see left and right, what's going on in my peripheral. Always alert and vigilant, by the doors, where I sit, everything, I'm very selective about everything that I do now," another person said.
The victim Dhillon spoke to says more officers are necessary, especially at night.
"More patrols, better security, because those are the times when they lurk," he said.
This upcoming Monday is supposed to be a big day for the MTA. Subways will return to 24-hour service for the first time since the pandemic started.
The hope is a larger police presence will help prevent future attacks.
CBS2's Christina Fan and Kiran Dhillon contributed to this report.