Police on Wednesday arrested the man accused of brutality beating a senior with her own cane in Harlem, less than 24 hours after pledging to apprehend him.
On Tuesday, NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper identified 43-year-old Norton Blake — the man wanted for attacking a 60-year-old woman with her own cane inside of the 116th Street and Lenox Avenue subway station during the early hours of Friday, Sept. 1 — and pledged to swiftly make an arrest.
“We’re looking for him and I’m pretty confident in short order he will be arrested and charged for that assault,” Kemper said.
Less than 24 hours later, police sources say the NYPD’s warrant squad tracked Blake down to his Bronx apartment, where they arrested him for the shocking attack. The incident, which apparently unfolded over a dropped object that Blake may have been helping his victim carry up the stairwell, was caught on camera and went viral, racking up thousands of views. The video depicts a man who appears to be Blake brutally and repeatedly beating his elderly victim with her own wooden cane before fleeing.
Reports indicate that a transit officer may have stopped Blake but unknowingly let him go, which prompted an internal investigation, according to Mayor Eric Adams.
“Under no circumstance should this woman have been beaten that way. There appears to be, preliminarily, a cross complaint situation here and it’s going to be fleshed out,” Adams said.
As detectives took Blake out of Transit District 3 in handcuffs, he yelled at press incoherently, calling the allegations “Fake news, like Donald Trump says!” before also wildly roaring that “judgment is coming!”
Blake has a history of some 20 arrests, police sources told amNewYork Metro — his latest a new felony assault charge related to the Labor Day weekend attack.
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