A New York man has been arrested for allegedly firing shots on a subway platform on Tuesday night, reports Fox News.
The incident occurred when a 49-year-old homeless man attempted to mug a 40-year-old woman near the exit. The NYPD identified the suspect as 43-year-old John Rote and managed to apprehend him on Wednesday afternoon. Rote reportedly overheard the mugger, Matthew Roesch, demanding money from the woman.
To intervene, Rote fired shots, but fortunately, no one was injured. Surveillance images show Rote calmly leaving the scene with a tote bag, a green bookbag, and a tablet. He now faces multiple charges.
“I want to be clear: we don’t tolerate this kind of conduct in NYC Transit, period,”
the city’s top transit official, Richard Davey, said in a statement after Rote’s arrest.
“Once again cameras recorded a perpetrator, and we are grateful the NYPD made an arrest within hours. Thank goodness nobody was hurt here – but what occurred was outrageous, reckless, and unacceptable.”
Transit crime in the city has decreased by 3.6% this year, following a surge during the pandemic and George Floyd protests. However, compared to last year, crime rates are still 29% higher.
Some attacks have been brutal, with travelers being shoved in front of moving subway cars. Last month, Sabir Jones, a 39-year-old repeat offender with mental health issues, was arrested for pushing a woman into a departing train, causing life-threatening injuries. Over the past two years, 37 people, including Michelle Go at Times Square station, have been pushed onto subway tracks, according to FOX 5 New York.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
