NYPD: Man Shot Inside Union Square Subway Station
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A subway shooting in Manhattan on Monday afternoon left one man injured and a train full of passengers shocked.
Police say it all started with an attempted robbery, CBS2's Cory James reported.
It was a chaotic and frightening ride for passengers on board the northbound N train heading to the Union Square subway station. Police say before the line stopped at the platform, a 42-year-old man was shot once in the left leg, after the gunman demanded his cellphone.
"That's terrifying," Brooklyn resident Emma Berman said.
Berman added she could not believe the incident happened. "It's scary and unexpected."
Police say just 10 minutes earlier, the same suspect robbed a nearby TD Bank at gunpoint.
On Sunday, police say he tried robbing a man inside a deli Murray Hill.
Yellow tape blocked off the N, Q, R, and W platform, where the victim was treated and suspect took off. One rider said he watched the scene in disbelief. "The fact that this could happen during the middle of the day or so, it's very troubling," he said.
And it made a doctor's commute home challenging. He was forced to find a different platform because of the violence. "It's crazy traveling on the trains these days," the doctor said.
According to Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials, there was a 58.6% increase in major crimes last month. It included a more than 88% jump in grand larceny and a 50% increase in felony assaults.
Officials called the attempted robbery unacceptable. "We're not going to put up with this kind of stuff. The subways are safe, statistically speaking, but they also have to feel safe," Acting MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said.
And to stay safe, the NYPD is giving advice to those thinking about challenging or not complying fast enough with any armed suspect. "If there is a person with a gun, then maybe you should give the property up," Assistant Chief Vincent Coogan said.
The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital and is expected to be OK.
No arrest have been made and the police investigation is ongoing. 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.