In May of this year, a 61-year-old homeless man named Cyril Destin stabbed a female tourist in Manhattan’s Times Square in New York City. On June 3, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. announced that Destin was being charged with assault and possession of a weapon.
According to reports, on May 11 around 6:10 pm, Destin, who was sitting on a walker, got up with a knife and charged towards a 36-year-old woman named Amber Lohr from Pennsylvania and her daughter, stabbing the woman in the chest. After the attack, Destin sat back on the walker, still holding the knife used in the assault, while the injured woman was taken to the hospital for treatment.
The New York Post reported that the reluctant Destin was forcibly taken to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan for psychological treatment at the time. Two years ago, Destin had also verbally abused officers.
According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Destin faces three charges, including first-degree attempted assault, second-degree assault, and weapons possession. District Attorney Bragg stated in a release, “When tourists visit New York, they should enjoy our city without having to worry about their safety.”
Following the incident, Lohr expressed to the New York Daily News that she did not wish to return to New York City. However, on May 31, amNY reported that the Muslim Media Corporation was raising funds on the GoFundMe platform to raise travel expenses for Lohr, inviting her and her family to visit Times Square again.