An off-duty FDNY firefighter was busted for allegedly beating a stranger with a cane as tensions flared close to Occasions Sq. early Tuesday — a part of a 24-hour spurt of violence across the vacationer hotspot, cops mentioned.
Lexiano Harris, 32, allegedly attacked a 51-year-old man with a cane throughout a battle at forty second Avenue and Eight Avenue round 3:30 a.m., leaving the sufferer with a reduce and a scrape on his cheek, police mentioned.
Harris was charged with assault, legal possession of a weapon and legal possession of a managed substance, authorities mentioned.
The pre-dawn unrest got here lower than 24 hours after one other assault within the coronary heart of the Crossroads of the World.
At round 4 a.m. Monday, a 30-year-old man was slashed on the best aspect of his face at forty seventh Avenue and Seventh Avenue. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital in steady situation and refused to cooperate with investigators, in accordance with cops and sources.
Two males fled the scene after the knifing, however no suspects have been publicly recognized and a motive hasn’t been decided, cops mentioned.
For Harris, Tuesday’s incident marked his fourth arrest in three months.
He was additionally busted twice in separate assaults on August 16 and one other time on July 13 for allegedly threatening a 30-year-old man with a knife at Eighth Avenue close to West thirty third Avenue, police mentioned.
Within the first August case, he allegedly punched a 54-year-old man a number of instances throughout a battle on Eighth Avenue close to West forty second Avenue, leaving him with a fractured proper ankle, swelling to his proper eye and bleeding and bruising on his mouth, police mentioned.
Within the second incident, Harris allegedly punched and kicked a 31-year-old man throughout a brawl on West thirty ninth Avenue close to Eighth Avenue, cops mentioned.
“The Division is conscious of all of his arrests,” the FDNY mentioned in a press release. “He’s presently suspended with out pay. The member will face additional disciplinary prices as soon as his case is adjudicated within the courtroom of legislation.”
Felony assaults within the confines of the NYPD’s Midtown South precinct, which covers Occasions Sq., have jumped about 7% to 400 from the 373 reported throughout the identical interval in 2024, in accordance with the most recent NYPD information, up to date Sunday.
Nevertheless total felony crime throughout the precinct’s boundaries is down by almost 10% this 12 months, the statistics present.
Vacationers passing by the buzzing space Tuesday had combined emotions about security.
“We arrived on Friday and to date we’ve felt protected, however sure areas not a lot,” mentioned Mili Montora, who was visiting from London. “Once we [came] from the airport we needed to take the subway, after which that’s once we have been like, ‘Perhaps we should always simply name a cab.’ That’s when it felt a bit dodgy.
“However once you’re in a public space like Occasions Sq. it feels fairly protected [to] discuss to anybody they usually’ll allow you to out. Everybody has been actually pleasant.”
Karina Jones, 47, visiting the Huge Apple from the Midwest for a piece journey, mentioned she felt “good” and “protected” wandering town within the daytime.
“However at evening I don’t understand how I might really feel doing that,” Jones mentioned. “I deliberately didn’t do a variety of analysis as a result of I knew I used to be gonna be on my own for a piece journey so I simply know what I do know from mass media and all the pieces.”
Shut to a different vacationer hotspot additional south, two males, 40 and 43, slashed one another throughout a conflict on board a southbound No. 4 prepare approaching the Union Sq. station round 6 a.m. Tuesday, authorities mentioned.
The youthful man, Marcus Davis, was reduce on the neck, abdomen and proper arm, and the older sufferer, Robin A. Florentino Valdez, on the left leg. Each have been taken to Bellevue Hospital in steady situation and later every charged with assault, legal possession of a weapon and menacing, cops mentioned.
Each males are from The Bronx however didn’t beforehand know one another, police mentioned.
The assaults come a few week after a 23-year-old man was repeatedly stabbed by a stranger in a broad-daylight unprovoked assault as he stepped off a Bronx MTA bus final week, cops mentioned.
The sufferer was getting off the BX9 bus because the doorways opened on the East Fordham and East Kingsbridge Highway cease round 9:30 a.m. Sept. 2 when the assailant knifed him a number of instances within the again and left arm, police mentioned.
He was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, the place he was listed in steady situation.
The NYPD launched a photograph of the still-at-large perp, final seen sporting a grey hooded sweatshirt, blue denims, and a black backpack.
Anybody with data on the assault is requested to name the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
The general public may submit their ideas by logging onto the CrimeStoppers web site at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/,or on X @NYPDTips.
