Man suspected of randomly slashing woman in neck in SoHo is no stranger to NYPD
SOHO, Manhattan (WABC) -- The man suspected in the unprovoked attack of two women in SoHo on Monday afternoon is facing multiple charges and police say he is a recidivist.
Muslim Brunson, 46, who is homeless, has been charged with attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon after allegedly breaking a bottle on the back of a woman and slashing another in the neck.
It happened just after 3 p.m. near the intersection of Wooster and Broome streets.
Police said the suspect first broke a bottle on the back of a 29-year-old woman and then took a shard of glass and attacked the second woman.
The 25-year-old woman slashed in the neck is in critical condition.
Good Samaritans helped the victim and police caught the suspect about five blocks away.
Police say he gave them a fake name and appears to be mentally ill.
Authorities say Brunson has multiple prior arrests.
He was arrested back in 2022 for assaulting an off-duty NYPD employee at the Fulton Street subway station. In that case, the victim's orbital bone of her left eye was fractured.
Brunson also has a September 2019 arrest for robbing and assaulting a 13-year-old boy while on the C subway line in Brooklyn. He stole the boy's iPhone, and when his victim attempted to get it back, he shoved the boy off the train at the Liberty Ave station.
Brunson made $2,500 bail on that arrest and was released on his own recognizance a few months later.
After his 2022 arrest, he spent in a year in prison before he was released in August 2023 and maxed out his parole in February 2024.
He also had a January 2024 arrest for public lewdness that has been sealed.
Since 2019, Brunson has had 36 interactions with mental health workers in hearings and mental health courts.
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