A suspect who allegedly stabbed a straphanger following a heated argument in an East Village subway station last month was indicted in state Supreme Court, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced on Wednesday.
Raymond Kwok, 27, of Avenue C in the East Village, faces assault and weapons charges for the incident that occurred at about 8:43 p.m. on Sept. 20 at the First Avenue L train station.
According to court documents, Kwok and the victim, a 29-year-old man, bumped into each other on the station staircase near East 14th Street. The pair exchanged words, but as the man continued walking, Kwok allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed the commuter in the back.
The victim sustained a laceration, bleeding and pain as a result of the attack, court documents read. As EMS brought the man to Bellevue Hospital, where he received stitches for the brutal injury, Kwok was able to flee the scene before police arrived.
But he did not stay free for long. Just a few days later, on Sept. 23, NYPD officers spotted Kwok inside a Union Square subway station, recognizing him from photos that the department released following the crime.
As cops slapped the cuffs on Kwok, they found a switchblade in his right pants pocket, though it is not clear if it was the same weapon used in the Sept. 23 stabbing.
“Raymond Kwok allegedly stabbed a subway rider in a brutal attack,” Bragg said. “New Yorkers relying on public transportation deserve to be safe, and violence in our transit system, especially with dangerous weapons, will not be tolerated. I wish the victim a full and speedy recovery.”
A judge let Kwok go on supervised release a day after his arrest, even though the charges he faced were bail-eligible. Prosecutors had requested $25,000 cash bail.
Kwok faces charges of one count of second-degree assault and two counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
