2 women randomly attacked with glass bottle in SoHo, police say
By Christina Fan
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NEW YORK CITY (WCBS/WLNY) — The New York City Police Department says a man randomly attacked two women Monday in Manhattan, leaving one critically injured.
Police said the man hit a 29-year-old woman in the back with a glass bottle at the corner of Broome and Wooster streets in SoHo. The victim was not hurt and ran away, but the bottle shattered.
Police said the man then picked up a shard of broken glass, crossed the street, and used it to stab a 25-year-old woman in the neck. That victim was rushed to Bellevue Hospital where she underwent surgery and remains in critical condition.
Investigators said witnesses heard the second woman’s screams and helped apply pressure before EMS arrived. They described her as calm and brave.
“Conscious, but not doing the best,” one witness said. “However, everybody took good care of her.”
The unprovoked attacks happened just minutes apart at about 3 p.m. Emergency responders taped off the intersection, and pieces of the glass bottle could be seen on the sidewalk.
The suspect, 46-year-old Muslim Brunson, was arrested about five blocks from the scene and taken to the 1st Precinct for questioning. He was later charged with attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
Police said Brunson originally gave officers a fake name but they were able to identify him. Investigators also say it appears he struggles with homelessness and mental illness.
Anyone with any information about the case is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via their website.
Naveen Dhaliwal contributed to this report.
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