VIDEO: Father With Young Son Pulls Knife On Another Straphanger On Subway
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A subway rider says he confronted a man for allegedly hitting a child on the E train, but police say the man then pulled out a knife.
Cellphone video shows the suspect going on an expletive-laced tirade, waving the weapon and spitting at the straphanger before getting off the train.
The 45-year-old victim, who did not want to reveal his identity, told CBS2's Lisa Rozner it all started on the E train at Canal Street after the suspect hit his young son in a stroller.
"He was crying, and that's why caught everybody's attention – the noise when he hit him on the arm," the man said. "I have two kids. I wouldn't do anything like that. That's why I couldn't hold myself when I say, 'Listen, what you're doing is not right.'"
Victim: "Why you hitting your son?"
Suspect: "Because he's my son and I can do that."
At one point, the even yelled at the suspect to stop.
Suspect: "I'm not stopping nothing until you do something."
This happened around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 24. The victim was with his wife and 4-year-old daughter, who asked her dad if everything was OK.
Suspect: "Yeah, it's fine, your daddy will get killed on this train."
At the West 4th Street stop, the suspect held the subway doors open and flashed the knife.
"That's obviously pretty scary," another rider told Rozner.
"You never know, and it just says you shouldn't confront people on the subway, because it could be dangerous," a woman added.
Police said the suspect is now wanted for menacing.
The victim said he takes the E train every day and he's worried the suspect will retaliate.
"If he pull a knife and threaten your life in front of everybody and holding his child at the same time, he's a guy (that) doesn't have anything to lose," he said.
He said he was just trying to do the right thing, but now will never intervene again.
