Police hunt attacker who kicked woman down New York subway escalator

Woman tells man to say ‘excuse me’ after bumping into her, at which point he kicks her down staircase

New York police are on the hunt for a man who kicked a 32-year-old woman in the chest, making her fall backwards down a subway escalator in Brooklyn.

Police said the woman and the man bumped into each other as they were going up the escalator at the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center station at 7.15pm on Thursday.

Law enforcement released a video of the attack on Monday. The two had a “verbal exchange” after which the man turned around and put his foot in the middle of her torso, sending her flying down the stairs.

Police said the victim didn’t agree to receive medical attention. She had cuts to her back, arms, legs, right knee, and right thigh. Her left ankle was also injured.

Police are still looking for the suspect.

CBS New York reported that the woman told the man to say “excuse me” after he passed her, at which point he kicked her in the chest.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced that all of New York City’s 472 Subway stations now have surveillance cameras.

The installation of the cameras picked up during the Covid-19 pandemic as ridership on the Subway fell and crime spiked.

The feeds of some cameras are streamed live to a security centre while others record the footage, which can later be used to solve crimes, Fox 5 New York reported.

The MTA said the rise in the number of cameras at Subway stations has helped increase the number of arrests made by law enforcement by 28 per cent.