The homeless man who allegedly shoved an off-duty NYPD cop onto Manhattan subway tracks late Tuesday is a profession felony who was not too long ago lower unfastened on supervision after randomly slugging another person on the rails, cops and prosecutors mentioned.
Aaron Walker, 28 – who has 18 prior arrests – had solely been out of cuffs for 2 days when cops say he hurled the 24-year-old officer onto the downtown roadbed on the Third Avenue L station within the East Village shortly earlier than 7:30 p.m., sending him to the hospital.
Walker was picked up by police a short while later and now faces a prime cost of tried homicide, authorities mentioned.
His arrest got here on the heels of a Saturday arrest for a neighborhood regulation violation, after officers noticed him smoking a cigarette on board a practice at Bedford Avenue and North seventh Avenue in Williamsburg, authorities mentioned.
As soon as he was taken into custody for that offense, police realized he was wished for an additional apparently unprovoked assault in transit, cops mentioned.
In that case, he allegedly sat down subsequent to a 22-year-old man on board a C practice at Fulton Avenue and Kingston Avenue the afternoon of Sept. 13 and punched him quite a few occasions within the face and head, police mentioned.
That sufferer – a stranger to Walker – was hospitalized in secure situation.
The highest cost in that case was third-degree assault – a misdemeanor that’s not bail-eligible, and he was granted supervised launch throughout his Sunday arraignment, the Brooklyn DA’s Workplace mentioned.
He was additionally charged with third-degree tried assault and second-degree harassment, in line with the felony criticism.
Walker was additionally arrested on Sept. 17 for allegedly stealing three clothes gadgets and one residence decor merchandise from Goal on Greenwich Avenue close to Park Place in Tribeca, in line with the courtroom doc.
He was charged with petit larceny and felony possession of stolen property, and launched on his personal recognizance throughout his arraignment, over prosecutors’ request for supervised launch, the Manhattan DA’s Workplace mentioned.
Walker was beforehand arrested on Aug. 29 for allegedly snatching up a number of gadgets – together with vinyl information – from a Barnes & Noble retailer on East seventeenth Avenue close to Park Avenue South close to Union Sq., in line with the felony criticism.
He was charged with third-degree housebreaking and granted supervised launch, as requested by prosecutors.
In an analogous case on July 23, Walker allegedly stole eight vinyl information value about $300 from a Barnes & Noble on Atlantic Avenue close to Clinton Avenue in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, in line with that courtroom doc.
He was arrested in August and likewise lower unfastened on supervision as a result of the fees — third-degree housebreaking, tried assault and harassment — weren’t eligible for bail, prosecutors mentioned.
Each Brooklyn and Manhattan prosecutors say Walker was in violation of a signed trespass discover issued in December of 2022, which revokes his privileges to enter any of the bookstore chain’s areas.
Walker was awaiting arraignment Wednesday in connection to the assault on the off-duty cop, who sources say was heading residence from working the United Nations Basic Meeting safety element.
The officer was strolling on the southbound platform when Walker allegedly punched him behind the top, grabbed him by his shirt and hurled him onto the southbound tracks, sources mentioned.
Walker additionally fell onto the tracks throughout the scuffle, earlier than the 2 males managed to hoist themselves again onto the platform and commenced combating, the sources added.
The unhinged attacker then jumped onto the northbound tracks, operating towards the 14th Avenue-Union Sq. station, in line with the sources.
The victimized cop then referred to as the thirteenth Precinct and requested further models to reply to the scene, the sources mentioned.
The responding officers, joined by their injured brother in blue, drove to the Union Sq. station, the place they discovered Walker on board an uptown L practice.
Along with the tried homicide rap, Walker was additionally charged with tried assault, tried reckless endangerment, two counts of felony trespassing, and two counts of disorderly conduct, police mentioned.
