Police Make Arrest In Bleach Attack At Subway Station
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Police have arrested a woman in connection to an alleged attack at a subway station in Chelsea where a victim was hit with bleach thrown by commuter.
Police arrested 46-year-old Lakeesha Tyler in connection to the incident. Investigators say she faces second-degree assault charges.
The attack happened around 12:40 p.m. on the 1 train platform at the 14th Street and 7th Avenue station, reports CBS2's Dave Carlin.
Police said the suspect threw bleach in a 37-year-old woman's face as the victim was exiting the station.
Investigators called it an unprovoked attack. One witness said he was close enough to be splashed himself.
"The woman comes down to me and she just (gestures)... Why?" he said. "She didn't really catch me, she got my sneakers and everything."
He said the suspect was silent, offering no motive.
"We didn't know, because she kept her mouth quiet," he said.
The victim was taken to the hospital and treated for a burn on her face.
Doctors say the biggest concern a bleach attack comes when the liquid gets into someone's eyes or mouth.
The MTA recently added hundreds of additional uniformed officers to stations, platforms and trains - in part, to prevent these random attacks.
"Hopefully, if they're down there, they'll be able to direct their resources towards real crime, like these," said Upper West Side resident Silver Krieger.
"It's definitely getting out of control. A lot of people's mental health situations are not being met in the city," Bedford-Stuyvesant resident Quentin Mortley said. "It's a lot of police out, you understand what I'm saying, but the issue is bigger than that."
