Two thugs slashed a Manhattan subway passenger and tore off his Jordan sneakers late Monday, but the victim appeared to have been targeted because he refused to join a street gang, sources said. said.
Authorities and sources said the 21-year-old victim was walking out of the 6th Station at East 77th Street and Lexington Avenue on the Upper East Side when the assailants attacked him around 10:15 p.m. It attacked me.
Officials say one of the men held the victim down while the other punched him.
According to police and sources, one of the assailants also hit the young man in the head with a kitchen knife, causing a cut.
They then ripped off his Jordans, valued at about $260, police said.
According to officials, the victim told investigators that he recognized one of the suspects, who had previously approached him and is known as the East Ape Brick Squad, an affiliate of the Bloods. He reportedly asked if he wanted to join a gang.
Officials said the victim declined the offer and that the two then became hostile toward him.
Both suspects were stationary during the outburst on a calm Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital and was listed in stable condition.
