Musician bashed in the head in unprovoked subway attack speaks out
NEW YORK - A musician assaulted in a subway station is speaking out as police search for the suspect.
The attack was caught on camera, and stunned onlookers inside the Herald Square station.
Musician Iain Forrest was left with a serious head injury.
While playing his electric cello Tuesday evening, a woman can be seen on video walking over, picking up his metal water bottle, and hitting Forrest in the head.
It happened so fast he said he couldn't make sense of it.
"I felt this terrible pain on the back of my head, and this impact on the back of my head, and I felt stunned for a moment," Forrest said.
Police say she then left the Herald Square station and headed towards Broadway between West 34th and 35th Streets.
"While simultaneously changing and taking off their outer clothes as well, and escaped into the nearby Macy's," Forrest said.
Forrest, 29, is one of hundreds of performers for "Music Under New York," the MTA's arts and performance sector. They're all volunteers, sharing their craft with commuters.
It wasn't the first time Forrest has been assaulted while performing. He said this is the second time in less than a year that he has been attacked. He wants to see more done to protect entertainers.
"I have to be realistic, and say is it worth putting my life on the line? Is it worth such serious injury or, I don't know, death for the sake of this act," Forrest said.
As he recovers from his head injury, Forrest is putting performances on hold indefinitely.
Meanwhile, the suspect was last seen wearing a fur coat, black winter hat, multicolored bag, and a burgundy scarf covering her face.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.