A trip to Manhattan took a dark turn for Dylan Spinosa and his friend upon their return home via the Staten Island ferry. While waiting for their taxi, a drunken stranger stabbed Dylan in the back while spewing anti-gay slurs.
Spinosa, 20, and his friends had gone into the city to celebrate pride and enjoy a day out now that COVID-19 restrictions have lifted. While they waited for their ride home, Spinosa and his friends noticed a drunken man harassing women with sexual remarks.
Spinosa told the New York Daily News that the suspect was “harassing every girl that he passed by, talking to them sexually.” Spinosa and another passerby tried to pressure the man to leave and stop bothering the women. When they did, the man replied that he had a gun, ignored their request, and began harassing another female.
Related: Police arrest machete-wielding teen in possible antigay hate crime
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“He was in her ear, sexually harassing her, saying he was going to have sex with her,” Spinosa described. “Me and this other guy were like, ‘Dude, leave her alone. Go home. You’re drunk. This doesn’t have to get any further.’ ”
Then things turned violent. The drunken suspect attacked the stranger by punching him in the face. Spinosa reacted by putting the assailant in the headlock and wrestling him to the ground. When Spinosa released him, he heard his friends scream.
“I turn around and the guy’s charging us,” Spinosa said of the moment. “I didn’t realize that he had a knife. It felt like he punched me. I thought he threw a beer on me.”
“He stabbed me in the back,” Spinosa elaborated.
The suspect then began yelling anti-gay slurs as Spinosa slumped to the ground, blood pouring down his back. Police arrived shortly thereafter and arrested Eric Shields, 47, while an ambulance rushed Spinosa to the hospital. Medics there treated his wound and discovered that the knife had scraped his scapula. He will need to keep his arm in a sling for some time. He is, however, expected to make a full recovery.
Police have charged Eric Sheilds with assault, weapons possession, menacing and harassment. The District Attorney has also not ruled out hate crime charges, pending an investigation.
The attack follows a recent rash of assaults on LGBTQ people this year. Earlier this month, police in Washington, DC arrested a man for harassing gay diners at a restaurant with a machete. In May, police in New York opened a hate crime investigation following the murder of a 24-year-old transgender woman.
Vince
“Police have charged Eric Sheilds with assault, weapons possession, menacing and harassment.”
How about assault with a dangerous weapon at the very least. When you stab someone with a knife that’s attempted murder. Then there’s the whole hate crime charge that’s missing since he was yelling anti gay slurs while doing it.
Invader7
Ladies & gentlemen : get a licensed ,permitted GUN and if this kind of crap happens to YOU, SHOOT the violent thug(s) DEFEND yourself…. Its that simple. You’d rather be standing in front of judge than be in a hospital or 6 Feet Under..
Heywood Jablowme
Yeah, that worked out great for Bernhard Goetz. (eye roll)
Vince
Heywood Jablowme
I think he got himself into some trouble with the whole shooting them in the back while they were trying to escape. Not that I blame him and all.
Fahd
A knife is standard for street people in NYC. Not justifying the attempted murder, but I recommend people think twice before engaging aggressive street people (many are certified insane). It’s prudent to call the police, rather than do the knight-in-shining-armor thing.
I’m glad he’ll be okay, and I wish him a speedy recovery.
Openminded
Fahd, you may well be correct but I believe if we had more Knights in Shining Armor, we would have fewer thugs on the streets with knives attacking people. Case in point, 9/11. The only plane that didn’t complete it’s heinous mission was the one where the civilian Knights in Shining Armor attempted to stop the terrorists. The police can’t and won’t be everywhere.
Manrico Jimenez
I said it before and I’ll say it again, I think our community needs to start taking self-defense as seriously as young women have been for years. Pepper spray in the very least.