Police searching for man who struck straphanger with sword sheath on NYC subway train
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Police are searching for a man who allegedly hit a commuter with a sword sheath on a New York City subway train Thursday morning.
Multiple reports came in about a man with a knife, sword, or machete who attacked a straphanger on a northbound A train at the Chambers Street station, according to police.
A witness who saw the scene unfold said the suspect shoved his way past a woman onto the train and then stood between the train cars before crashing through the other car door.
"Out of nowhere, he just sort of like, like very forcefully opened the two doors to the other train car behind us," Rebecca Strassberg said. "And just like whipped out what looks like a sword a samurai sword, something gigantic. And the rest was a little bit hard to see. You could see everybody from the other train cars was moving as far as they could."
Strassberg said she didn't see the man enter with a sword but saw him make a swinging motion as if pulling a sword from a sheath.
Strassberg described "some sort of combat" that took place in the car next door before the train pulled into the World Trade Center station in Lower Manhattan and the suspect ran out.
"The only word I can think of was cliche," Strassberg said. "It was like a cliche and almost cinematic the way he like whipped it out. I was I felt like I was in a fever dream, kind of."
One man was hit on the head with the sword cover and sustained a slash on the forehead. He was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspect was described as wearing all black with a black hat with a Marvel logo on it, according to police.
The sole victim is known to police and was most recently arrested for a robbery in May.
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