Photo via Flickr Creative Commons by Lana Palmer
A man slashed Filipino Noel Quintana, 61, across the face with a box-cutter knife during his morning commute to his first of two jobs on the New York City metro, ABS-CBN News reports.
The perpetrator, who fled once the train stopped, is unidentified as of the writing of this article.
The assault occurred after a brief dispute over Quintana’s tote bag, which he had placed on the floor.
“What’s wrong with you? Qunitana reportedly asked after he said the man kicked the bag. It’s unclear whether the suspect intentionally or accidentally kicked it.
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The perpetrator kicked his bag again before pulling out a knife and gashing his face. The attack happened so quickly, Quintana didn’t register his wound for a moment.
“[At first] I thought he punched me or something — and when I saw the reaction of the people in the train I thought I was hit,” Quintana told the Daily News. “[Then] I saw my hand [was bloody] because I put my hand on my face. It was bleeding profusely.”
Though Quintana called out for help, nobody on the train approached him. He left the train and stumbled up the ticket booth where a station attendant called 911. “I was scared because I thought I was gonna die and nobody helped me,” Quintana told Eyewitness News ABC7.
Emergency workers rushed him to Bellevue Hospital where he received over 100 stitches, the Manila Bulletin reports. Doctors expressed concern about the bleeding because Quintana takes blood thinners.
The New York Police Department released images of the perpetrator, asking the public help to identify him.Police described him as a 20 to 30-year old Black man last seen wearing a black jacket, red hoodie, blue jeans, red bandana, light-colored sneakers and a black Louis Vuitton mask.
This attack comes after a series of anti-Asian crimes, some of which have also targeted elderly Asian men.
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