Busboy slashed in Greenwich Village restaurant speaks out; Photos released of suspect's friends

KINGSBRIDGE, Bronx (WABC) -- Police seeking a suspect in the slashing of a busboy at a Greenwich Village restaurant have released new photos of persons of interested they are seeking, all while the victim is speaking out about the terrifying incident.

The NYPD is looking to talk to a group of teens, a boy and two girls, who the suspect was seen with Wednesday before the attack. Detectives said they harassed a deliveryman on Houston Street near the Silver Spurs restaurant shortly before the slashing, asking for money for their basketball team. The deliveryman told police the group kept asking for money, describing them as aggressive.

That was the same thing that happened at the diner, where 25-year-old Bobby Barbot was attacked when he told he panhandling teen to leave.

"Whatever the cop and the detectives do, I hope they find him and arrest him," Barbot said. "You know, people like that on the street, not supposed to be out here. What they have to do is catch him, and I hope they do."

Creating fear and intimidation is what police say the suspect did when he took a box cutter to Barbot's face, opening a wound that required 137 stitches to close.

"I just told him to leave," Barbot said. "He didn't want to leave, so he just told me that he's coming back. And I told him he's not coming back."

Unlike other recent slashings, police believe this incident was motivated by retribution, not robbery.

"It was an intimidation issue that the young man we were looking for, maybe 15 or 16 years old, took offense he was being evicted from the premises," NYPD Commissioner William Bratton said. "Came back and slashed the employee."

Barbot is now temporarily out of work and recovering, with stitches from his cheek to his chin and even inside of his mouth.

"You know, I'm just happy that I'm alive, you know?" he said. "And once I get better, I can get back on my feet."

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There has been a recent series of slashing incidents across the city. Here is information about the others:

* 2/18 | SoHo, Manhattan | Man slashed in face during attempted robbery

* 2/16 | Washington Heights, Manhattan | Cab driver slashed in face during fare dispute

* 2/12 | Van Nest, Bronx | 20-year-old woman robbed, slashed while walking home

* 2/7 | East Tremont, Bronx | Man slashed in cheek after dispute at subway station

* 2/2 | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | 18-year-old slashed while walking home

* 2/2 | Parkchester, Bronx | 65-year-old businessman slashed during robbery

* 2/2 | Harlem, Manhattan | Man slashed in face during attempted robbery

* 1/31 | Harlem, Manhattan | Man slashed during attempted robbery on C train

* 1/25 | NoHo, Manhattan | 71-year-old woman slashed while riding D train

* 1/16 | East Village, Manhattan | 30-year-old man slashed while walking down the street

* 1/14 | East Tremont, Bronx | Man gets 100+ stitches after slashing attack

* 1/6 | Chelsea, Manhattan | 24-year-old woman slashed while walking to work

* 12/30 | East Side, Manhattan | Employee, customer slashed inside McDonald's

* 12/16 | Crown Heights, Brooklyn | Man slashed in the face coming out of subway station

* 12/16 | Whitestone, Queens | 16-year-old exchange student slashed in throat

* 11/5 | Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn | 2 slashed in head aboard C train