MTA conductor stabbed on subway. Suspect had prior conviction in another MTA attack, officials say
NEW YORK — An MTA conductor was critically injured in a stabbing at a Brooklyn subway station Tuesday, and officials say this isn't the first time the suspect has attacked a transit worker.
The conductor, who has more than 25 years on the job, was attacked just before 11 a.m. at the Utica Avenue station in Crown Heights.
MTA officials say when the train got to its last stop, the conductor checked to make sure the cars were empty. When he saw one passenger was still on the train, he asked him to leave and the two got into an argument, officials say.
"This guy chased ... our conductor onto the platform, and he attacked him brutally and stabbed him multiple times," said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber.
Police say the victim, 64, was stabbed in the chest, torso and leg. He was taken to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery Tuesday afternoon, officials say.
Suspect previously convicted in another MTA attack, officials say
The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Jonathan Davalos, was arrested and is facing multiple charges, including attempted murder. The MTA says he has more than 14 prior arrests and was once convicted of attacking another MTA employee.
"This is a person that uses the transit system to prey on our customers and our employees, and it is unacceptable and tragic that he is still allowed to ride our systems," said Kathryn Falasca, an MTA criminal justice advocate.
CBS News New York Investigates has reported for months on the rate of assaults against MTA workers.
MTA data shows 70 assaults on New York City transit workers through July of this year – the most recent data available. That's down from the same time frame last year when 101 assaults were recorded, but it's still up compared to the 53 assaults in the first seven months of 2019.
"We hope that there will be accountability in a more meaningful way than there was prior because this is an individual who solely uses our system for evil," Falasca said.
