Off-duty NYPD officer punched and thrown onto subway tracks, sources say
An off-duty police officer has been hospitalized after he was attacked at a subway station Tuesday night, police sources said.
It happened at the 14th Street and Third Avenue L train subway station just after 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The off-duty officer, 24, was punched in the back of the head, grabbed by the shirt and thrown into the tracks, sources said. Fortunately, no train was entering the station at the time.
The attack was unprovoked, according to sources. The suspect ran off on the northbound tracks, heading towards the Union Square station.
The off-duty officer called for backup. After a search, they found the suspect on a northbound L train car at Union Square.
Police said Aaron Walker, 28, of Harlem, faces a host of charges, including attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct and more. Walker has 28 prior arrests, including 10 felonies, sources said.
The officer was hospitalized in stable condition with pain in the body and head.
Earlier this month, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced subway crime had fallen to historic lows over the summer. Transit crime fell by nearly 10% and felony assaults by 21% during the months of June, July and August, Hochul said. She also said fare evasion is down from 14% last summer to 9% this summer.
Hochul also renewed her commitment to provide funds to the NYPD in order to put two officers on every train overnight.
That announcement came amid a back-and-forth with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, who has threatened to withhold billions of dollars from the MTA unless it made the subways safer.