In Harlem, New York, tensions flared dramatically on Friday when locals nearly lynched a man accused of attacking a 43-year-old woman and slashing an 11-year-old girl on a subway platform. The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Shaquan Cummings, was apprehended by the police just moments before the crowd could deliver their own form of justice.
Shaquan Cummings stands accused of committing a horrifying assault near the 116th Street subway station, as reported by the New York Post. According to police reports, Cummings initially attacked the woman by punching her at a nearby street corner at approximately 2:15 p.m. He then allegedly proceeded to attack a young girl on the subway platform, slashing her in the back of the head and her ear while she was holding her mother’s hand.
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The girl’s mother, Gorzata Sladek, described the ordeal as both traumatizing and terrible. She vividly recalled the moment she realized her daughter was bleeding profusely after the attack. Despite Sladek’s desperate attempt to stop a departing train and catch the assailant, Cummings managed to flee the scene temporarily. The attack left the young girl severely injured, necessitating surgery that involved multiple stitches and staples to close the wounds.
The child was quickly attended to by medical personnel near a local juice bar. A UPS worker who was at the scene described the girl as visibly distressed, crying, and bleeding from her head and hand. Sladek later told The Post that her daughter is struggling emotionally, reluctant to return to school or even step outside.
Police later located Cummings just a block away from where the initial assault took place. A video capturing the moment went viral on social media, showing a group of angry Harlem residents surrounding Cummings as police protected him from potential harm. In the footage, police officers can be seen shielding Cummings, with one bystander attempting to poke him with a cane as he sought refuge behind the officers.
