Police arrested a suspect on Friday for allegedly punching popular actor Steve Buscemi in an unprovoked attack on a Manhattan street.
Clifton Williams, 50, is accused of walking up to Buscemi, 66, at Kips Bay on May 8 at around 5:45 p.m., randomly punching the actor, and then casually walking away. .
NYPD officers identified Williams from surveillance footage near the scene of the attack and were searching the city, including his last known address at a homeless shelter in Brooklyn, police officials said.
The Brooklyn-born “Boardwalk Empire” star declined to comment on the incident following a statement released by a publicist on May 12.
“Steve Buscemi was assaulted in midtown Manhattan, becoming the latest victim of random acts of violence in the city,” a spokesperson said in a statement Sunday. “He’s okay and we appreciate everyone’s well wishes, but it’s incredibly sad for everyone that something like this happened while walking down the street in New York. is.”
On May 11, Buscemi was spotted shooting a commercial in SoHo, showing off his shiny left eye and swollen cheek.
“He just walked up to me and punched me in the side of the head for no reason,” a neighbor worker who saw security video of the assault previously told the Post. “[Buscemi] I couldn’t see anything. He went straight to the ground and the man kept going.
“[Buscemi] He quickly stood up with a look on his face that said, “What happened?” Then I looked at the man who hit me,” the worker said. “The man yelled something back and kept going.”
Buscemi is a former FDNY firefighter who famously rushed to the World Trade Center scene on September 11th to assist his former company, Engine 55, in the emergency.
He began his film career nearly 40 years ago and has a catalog of hit films including “Furco,” “The Big Lebowski” and “Reservoir Dogs.”
He also had a recurring role on the HBO hit “The Sopranos,” and most recently won critical acclaim for his role as corrupt Atlantic City man Paul Enoch “Nucky” Thompson on the HBO series “Boardwalk Empire.” .
The attack makes Buscemi the second contestant on the popular show to be the victim of random street violence in New York City this year.
On March 31, actor Michael Stuberg, who played gangster Arnold Rothstein on the show, was hit in the back of the neck with a rock while running on the Upper East Side.
Stuberg chased after the thug, but was arrested by police officers guarding the Russian consulate.
The New York City Police Department arrested Xavier Israel, 27, a deranged vagrant on suspicion of assault.
