Suspect arrested for fracturing man's skull with a pipe in attack on NYC subway
NEW YORK -- A suspect has been arrested in a violent attack on a New York City subway. Geovannie Nieves, 35, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, was apprehended and charged with first-degree assault on Sunday, CBS New York reports.
The incident was caught on video Saturday evening at about 9:15 p.m. on a southbound 2 train. Police said Nieves was panhandling when he got into verbal dispute with a 59-year-old man that quickly escalated. Police say the suspect hit the man in the face with a pipe.
Mery Meza, the victim's stepdaughter, said she was so upset she couldn't bring herself to watch video of the incident.
"Nobody deserves that to happen to them and it was messed up," Meza told CBS New York.
The suspect got off the train at Chambers Street and ran, police said. The victim was left with a fractured skull and broken eye socket. He is recovering at the hospital in serious but stable condition.
Meza believes the argument started over money.
"From what I know, the guy was asking him for money, like the guy was on the train begging for money and my stepfather doesn't speak Spanish and the guy was speaking Spanish," she said. "So I'm guessing the guy got irritated because he didn't want to give him money and that just broke out."
For now, Meza said her only focus is helping her stepfather recover.
"I don't know the situation, in what happened, but my stepfather's hurt and I just want him to get well," she said. "If the guy's sick, I want him to get the help he needs."
