Police say there was a violent incident on Delancey Street Friday evening that’s being investigated as a hate crime. The crime was first brought to light by City Council member Margaret Chin. Here’s the press statement from her office:
Today, Council Member Margaret Chin strongly condemned an anti-gay attack that took place on the Lower East Side on the night of Friday, August 1, and called for justice for the victim. According to the NYPD, around 10:40pm on August 1, the alleged perpetrator, a 32-year-old man, began shouting anti-gay slurs at another man near the corner of Delancey and Essex Streets. Hearing the insults, a 29-year-old woman attempted to intervene by confronting him and asking him to stop. When she approached to confront him, the alleged perpetrator slashed the woman across the left side of her face with a sharp object, according to the NYPD. The alleged attacker was arrested and is currently charged with felony assault (as a hate crime) and criminal possession of a weapon, according to the NYPD. In addition, after he was in police custody, the man reportedly also stated an anti-gay slur against the woman he had slashed, according to the NYPD. “As with any violence that targets our LGBT New Yorkers or their supporters, I condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms,” said Council Member Margaret Chin. “The woman who confronted this man during his hate-filled rant must be commended for her courageous and noble action, and I am deeply thankful that she did not suffer life-threatening injuries. My thoughts are with her, and I wish her a speedy recovery. “In times like these, we must always take a moment to reaffirm our love and support for our LGBT brothers and sisters, as well as for anyone who selflessly advocates for tolerance and respect,” said Chin. “I thank the NYPD for quickly arresting this suspect, and I hope and trust that he will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
UPDATE 8/5/2014 The Post identifies the suspect as 32-year old Takeam Brison and offers a few more details:
When the 29-year-old woman told Brison to pipe down, the bigoted brute whipped out a blade and slashed the left side of her face — just as an off-duty cop was exiting a nearby subway station, police said. The officer took off after Brison, helping fellow cops nab him after a five-block chase, officials said. Brison, a Bowery homeless shelter resident with an arrest record dating back to the 90s, was charged with felony assault as a hate crime, and criminal possession of a weapon for a pocket knife found on his person, according to authorities. The gutsy slashing victim was rushed to Bellevue Hospital Center and received several stitches.
