A man who stabbed an employee in a Lower East Side laundromat last year was sentenced to jail time, prosecutors announced Thursday.
Dwight Williams, 59, was convicted of attempted assault and assault on Oct. 26. He was sentenced to serve 8 years in state prison plus 5 years post-release supervision for the attempted assault charge and 5 years in prison plus 3 years post-release supervision for the assault charge, which will run concurrently with the attempted assault sentence.
“Dwight Williams attacked a fellow New Yorker who was doing his job. We want everyone to feel at home in this borough and we will hold accountable anyone who carries out disturbing attacks like this one,” said District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. “Nobody should ever feel unsafe in their place of work, and we will continue to be laser-focused on these incidents. My thoughts are with the victim as he continues to heal.”
As proven in trial, in July 2021 Williams got into an argument with a 54-year-old laundromat employee while inside the laundromat, located at Delancey Street. Williams complained that his clothes weren’t drying properly and after the victim told him he needed to add more quarters to the machine, Williams started making racist and xenophobic statements at the victim, saying, “F-ck you, Chinese. Chinese dog. Chinese pig. Get out of America,” and threatened to kill him.
Williams then threatened the employee, saying “I have a knife,” while being pushed out of the laundromat. Williams then reentered the laundromat with a knife in each hand. The victim then used a pole used to grab hanging laundry to lead Williams back out of the store, and afterward, Williams stabbed the victim in the torso.
The victim was taken to the hospital and treated for the stab wound, which broke one of his ribs.
