A man was cuffed late Monday night for slashing a fellow resident of a Kips Bay homeless shelter in a bloody brawl, police and eyewitnesses said.
According to police sources, 43-year-old Pedro Mendoza allegedly took a razor blade and slashed a 49-year-old man across the face on the sixth floor of HRA men’s shelter at around 9:30 p.m. on March 18. Cops say the attack was unprovoked.
The shelter was evacuated and placed on lockdown as Mendoza was whisked away in handcuffs and the victim was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in bandages. Authorities say the wounded man is expected to survive the attack.
Video obtained by amNewYork Metro shows the attack unfolding, leaving a bloody trail in its wake. According to resident of the HRA men’s shelter Brandon Torres, the slashing occurred because Mendoza may have not signed into the shelter in time, losing his bed to another man.
Read more: A portrait tapped a love connection at McSorley’s
“As they kept tussling and fighting, all I kept hearing was cama, which means bed in Spanish,” Torres said, who has been staying at the location for less than two months. “The cops came running up and telling us to leave.”
Torres confirmed that the shelter was placed on lockdown while also recalling that he saw the victim get rushed out into an ambulance.
“He came out all wrapped up in bandages on the top of the head,” Torres continued.
Mendoza is charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
