Two of the aged victims who have been viciously slashed at Grand Central Station by a machete-wielding maniac who known as himself “Lucifer” are blaming the town for his or her accidents as a result of they declare cops have been nowhere to be discovered throughout the assaults.
Leila Sumulong, 70, and Jose Fermin, 84, are two of the three individuals who have been attacked by Anthony Griffin on the forty second Avenue-Grand Central subway station April 11, earlier than the 44-year-old madman was shot lifeless by cops.
Griffin’s violent rampage began after he bought off the 7 Practice and moved to the 4/5/6 prepare platform, the place Sumulong was sliced throughout her again and Fermin throughout his head, leaving them each with PTSD and fearful of ever driving the subway once more, in line with courtroom papers.
A 65-year-old man was additionally left with extreme lacerations throughout his head and a cranium fracture. All three slashings occurred inside a minute, in line with police.
“This can be a basic case of lack of safety at a serious station within the metropolis of New York,” lawyer Joseph Napoli, who represents Fermin and Sumulong, informed The Publish.
“How did the cops assigned to this station with all of the gear they haven’t discover ‘Lucifer’ strolling across the platform with a machete?”
Sumulong and Fermin are asking a Manhattan Supreme Court docket choose for permission to file a late discover of declare towards the town – step one in pursuing a lawsuit — after lacking the 90-day deadline.
“Regardless of the open and apparent nature of the assault, [Sumulong and Fermin] have been pressured to seek for NYPD officers on the platform and solely discovered officers as soon as they left the platform and went up the steps to the overall concourse space,” the petition alleges.
Griffin attacked the unsuspecting victims at 9:39 a.m., in line with police.
At 9:40 a.m., cops ordered Griffin to drop his roughly 17-inch machete over two dozen occasions, harrowing physique digicam footage launched in Might exhibits.
Refusing to drop the weapon, he screamed “Shoot me, please!” earlier than operating off.
Griffin then eerily yelled “I’m Lucifer” twice earlier than advancing towards one of many officers, who then fired two photographs, leaving the crazed perp flailing his legs whereas mendacity face down on the bottom, the footage exhibits.
Town and its companies are liable for the horrific assaults as a result of the assailant wasn’t instantly stopped and cops did not maintain the subway platforms secure, the proposed discover of declare argues.
The victims plan to sue the town, the NYPD, and the MTA amongst others.
An NYPD spokesperson referred The Publish to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch’s feedback on the time:
“Our officers have been confronted with an armed particular person who had already injured a number of individuals and was persevering with to pose a risk. They gave clear instructions, tried to de-escalate, and when that risk didn’t cease, they took decisive motion to cease it and defend New Yorkers on one of many busiest prepare platforms within the metropolis. Incidents like this present the fact of this work.
“Officers step into conditions the place the dangers are fast and the stakes are excessive. They make selections in tight areas, in actual time, with lives round them.”
Metropolis Corridor and the MTA didn’t return requests for remark. Fermin, Sumulong and an lawyer for the town declined to remark.
“Right now, their focus is on their restoration, and they aren’t offering interviews, feedback, or statements concerning the matter,” their regulation agency, Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, stated in an announcement.
