A 60-year-old woman was brutally attacked by a man wielding her own wooden cane at a Harlem subway station. The assault, which was captured on camera, saw the woman struck 54 times within a span of three minutes. The incident occurred as the woman was exiting the southbound 2/3 platform at the W. 116th St. station at Lenox Ave.
The assailant initially swung what seemed to be a black umbrella at the woman. In response, she attempted to defend herself with her cane. However, the man managed to hook the cane with his umbrella, pulling the woman to the ground. He then picked up the cane and began to beat the woman as she struggled to regain her footing.
The video footage of the incident, which lasts for over three minutes, shows the man shouting at the woman, “Now you learn!” He appeared to be homeless, carrying several garbage bags with him. He claimed to have helped the woman up the stairs, accusing her of blaming him when she fell.
Despite his pants falling down during the assault, the man continued to beat the woman. She tried to protect herself, but was repeatedly struck on the head and body with the cane. When she finally managed to grab hold of the cane, the man took off his belt and used it to continue the assault.
The woman can be heard in the video screaming for someone to call the police. The footage was reportedly captured by an MTA station agent, who alerted the police. However, the agent did not leave the booth to intervene in the assault.
Following the incident, the woman was rushed to Harlem Hospital where she received treatment for minor injuries. It remains unclear whether the woman and the man were acquainted prior to the assault. No arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
This incident adds to a growing list of violent crimes reported on the New York subway system over the past year. The New York Post has reported several such incidents, including a train operator being attacked by a man with a pipe and a separate stabbing incident on the subway, both of which occurred in the last weekend of August.