A subway assault suspect arrested at a Manhattan homeless shelter Tuesday morning felt the cold steel handcuffs on his wrists for at least the 120th time, police sources said.
Scott Burke, 41, is accused of assaulting a woman at the Fulton Street subway station in Lower Manhattan on Feb. 1. Sources familiar with the case, however, noted that he had racked up 120 other arrests dating back to 2002 for other crimes in transit.
Police apprehended Burke as part of the assault investigation at about 7:50 a.m. on April 8 at the Randalls Island homeless shelter where he resides, located at 121 Hell Gate Circle. In addition to the Feb. 1 attack, he had also been identified as the prime suspect in several other assaults.
During the Feb. 1 incident, law enforcement sources said, Burke got into an argument with the victim, a 62-year-old woman, at the Fulton Street station mezzanine. The dispute turned violent when Burke allegedly punched the woman in the face.
Authorities said Burke allegedly struck again on April 3, when he kicked a 45-year-old woman as she sat on a southbound platform bench at the Cortlandt Street station on the 1 line in Lower Manhattan in an unprovoked assault. The victim in this incident was treated at a hospital for minor injuries.
In addition to the assaults, Burke was also charged with criminal tampering for allegedly attempting to insert objects into the bill section of MTA vending machines. Police said this crime is something Burke is known to the department for and makes up many of the 120 prior arrests against his record.
Most recently, according to state prison records, Burke had spent roughly 18 months in prison following a May 2021 conviction on multiple criminal tampering charges when he was paroled back in October 2022.
Court records note that Burke is due for arraignment Wednesday morning on the new assault and criminal tampering charges in New York Criminal Court.
Another subway assailant nabbed
In a related story, NYPD Transit Detectives picked up on Tuesday a second suspect accused of a subway assault and who also has a lengthy rap sheet.
Police said Raheem King, 28, allegedly beat a man on the platform of the West 4th Street station during an apparent robbery attempt at around 1:40 a.m. on April 8.
NYPD Transit Bureau officers patrolling the platform heard a commission and saw the victim, a 40-year-old man, being shoved to the platform while leaving a train. The suspect who shoved him, identified as King, allegedly kicked the victim in the face repeatedly, they grabbed his phone.
The officers stopped King, who attempted to resist arrest, officials said. The victim, meanwhile, was rushed to Lenox Healthplex for treatment of minor injuries.
Police sources said King was previously arrested on March 27 at the Ralph Avenue subway station in Brooklyn after being identified in connection with two store robberies that day. Officers recognized King after spotting him on a subway car taking up more than one seat.
Law enforcement sources said King has 14 prior arrests dating back to 2018, including an October 2022 arrest for assault and robbery in Manhattan and a November 2022 collar for assaulting a police officer.
