Man badly injured in hatchet attack in Manhattan, suspect in custody

Thursday, August 19, 2021

A man was badly injured when he was attacked by another man with a hatchet as the victim was using an ATM in Manhattan.

LOWER MANHATTAN -- A Yonkers man is behind bars after a hatchet attack that left one person badly injured while he was trying to make a deposit at a bank ATM.

Police say the suspect crept up behind the unsuspecting victim and assaulted him, that victim had to undergo surgery, and investigators say another victim had a close encounter with the suspect just two days later.

The first attack was on Sunday, inside of a Chase Bank on Broadway in the Financial District.

The victim was inside making a deposit when the suspect walked in with a hatchet and with no reason began to attack.

Surveillance video, obtained by the New York Post, shows the hatchet-wielding suspect enter and unleash his fury on an unsuspecting man.

The victim tried to fight back, but was hit several times.

The victim was rushed to the hospital and underwent surgery.

And then on Tuesday, that suspect, who police have now identified as 37-year-old Aaron Garcia of Yonkers, ended up on West 19th Street in Chelsea, holding a weapon and approaching another person.

No one was hurt in the incident.

"Someone bumped into me and I turned and looked up and saw this very tall menacing man, he looked crzy and had a hammer in his hand and he pulled it back behind his head as though he was about to strike me," the victim, who did not want to be identified, said.

They were shaken up but not hurt and Garcia wasn't done.

Police said he smashed windows on cars and bars all the way down West 19th Street.

Employees said no one was inside when he busted up the door to Rebar and the bar was back open Wednesday.

Garcia was arrested Wednesday morning, he's facing a number of charges including attempted murder, assault, and criminal mischief.

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