Anti-Asian assaulter dead
A man who was targeting Asian women in a series of bias assaults throughout Manhattan has committed suicide.
Tyrelle Shaw, 25, was found dead in a building at E. 66th St. and Madison Ave. on Monday, police said.
The first attack occurred Wed., June 10, at 4:15 p.m. near 155 Grand St., according to police. When the man tried to speak with a 35-year-old Asian woman, she ignored him. He left but then returned with a white plastic bag containing a hard object and struck the woman in the face. She was taken to a Lower Manhattan Hospital and then released.
This pattern was repeated in at least three attacks on other Asian women — on the Upper East Side, in Chinatown and in Kips Bay.
Before Shaw’s suicide, Councilmember Margaret Chin issued a call for information that could help the police capture him.
“As an Asian woman, I am personally disgusted by these racially targeted attacks,” Chin said in a June 17 statement. “These are clearly acts of hate and ignorance.”
In a blog post, Shaw described the attacks as “a game” and said he “couldn’t understand why Asian women didn’t find me attractive,” several outlets reported.
Con Ed ax attack
A man’s Manhattan stabbing and hacking spree ended at the Con Edison building on Mon., June 22, but not before he had injured three people.
Police said that on that day around 2:25 p.m., officers responded to a call of an assault at 135 E. 64th St. Upon arrival, they found a woman, 35, in the building’s vestibule bleeding from multiple stab wounds to her stomach and back. She stated a man had approached her, pushed her into the vestibule and stabbed her multiple times. She was taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital in serious but stable condition.
Around 2:40 p.m., allegedly the same suspect entered 4 Irving Plaza and went up to the 10th floor, where he encountered a man, 49. Police said the suspect then brandished an ax, striking this second victim in the face. Another man, 40, tried to come to the victim’s aid, but the attacker struck him in the arm with a pointed-tip hammer.
Police said the suspect then fled down the stairs and into Con Ed’s parking lot, where police officers placed him under arrest without incident.
EMS responded and transported both victims, as well as the suspect, to Bellevue Hospital where they were all listed in stable condition.
Trevial Terry, 40, of 580 St. Nicholas Ave., Apt. 4E, in Upper Manhattan, was arrested and charged with three counts of attempted murder, six counts of assault and four counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
According to news reports, the man was a Con Ed employee, and the woman he stabbed was his child’s mother.
Not his ticket to ride
An inebriated Manhattan man was a little too cavalier after officers observed him drinking from an open container on the corner of University Place and E. 12th St., on Sat., June 20, around 6 p.m.
According to police, a search of 31-year-old Robert V. Rosales’s person yielded a switchblade knife and reduced-fare MetroCard inside his front blazer pocket. The transit card, which is exclusively for disabled riders, featured a photo ID of an unknown individual.
He was arrested for misdemeanor criminal possession of a weapon.
Armed bank robber
An armed robber knocked off the Amalgamated Bank, at 10 E. 14th St., on Wed., June 17, at 3:55 p.m., police said.
After entering the bank, the suspect brandished a gun and demanded money. The teller complied. However, a dye pack was inserted along with the cash. As the man fled with an undetermined amount of cash, the dye pack exploded.
The suspect is described as white, 5-foot-7 and weighing 150 pounds.
Post-game foul
A Manhattan man had to play a little defense after accidentally dropping his wallet on the ground at the corner of Hudson and Horatio Sts. after playing basketball in a nearby park. Lijuan Hartfield, 19, of Manhattan was reportedly observed picking up the wallet around 10 p.m. on Thurs., June 18. The wallet’s owner told police he tried approaching Hartfield for his property, but the suspect attempted to flee the scene. The victim, 23, rebounded by physically detaining him until police arrived. Hartfield was arrested and charged with grand larceny, a felony.
‘Oh…this crack pipe?’
Officers on patrol said they observed a homeless man outside 248 W.14th St. drinking from an open beer container around 7:35 p.m. on Thurs., June 18. Police said John Gray, 49, was reportedly in possession of a pipe with crack residue and a New York State ID card that matched a bank debit card belonging to a 51-year-old Queens man. Referring to the crack pipe and ID card, Gray told officers that he had “found them on W. Fourth St.” He was arrested and charged with felony criminal possession of stolen property.
Dragon-tattoo driver
A Manhattan driver with a forearm dragon tattoo traveling westbound on W. Third St. near Mercer St. caught the eye of officers after he ran a red light and failed to yield to a pedestrian, police said.
Police stopped Lazaro Martinez, 23, on Fri., June 19, around 4:45 p.m. and allegedly found him in possession of a forged New Jersey registration and license plate. The temporary registration expired in April of this year. However, after scanning its barcode, police learned the altered registration had actually expired last June.
Martinez reportedly told police he purchased the vehicle in Queens despite the issued Garden State plates, which were also found to be invalid. He was arrested and charged with felony forgery.
Pizzeria punch
A 30-year-old employee of 2 Bros. Pizza at 319 Sixth Ave., near W. Third St., was assaulted at 12:30 a.m. on Sun., June 21, according to police. Officers were called to the pizzeria after James E. Smallwood, 30, of Brooklyn allegedly hit the victim in the left eye, causing substantial swelling and bruising.
The police report said the victim did not know the patron, but it provided no details of what may have sparked the incident. Smallwood was arrested for misdemeanor assault.
— Chriss Williams, Dusica Sue Malesevic and Lincoln Anderson
