Man who made threats on Brooklyn Heights Promenade is prime suspect in slashing

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — The police on Friday confirmed that a man depicted in photos taken by a Brooklyn Heights resident is their prime suspect in a shocking daytime slashing on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.

The suspect had been harassing and threatening visitors to the Promenade for weeks before the attack on a 21-year-old man who was sitting on a bench in the oval at the north end of the walkway, locals told the Brooklyn Eagle.

One Heights resident, Malcolm (he asked that his full name not be used), said he called the cops after being threatened by the man on July 11, roughly two weeks before the slashing. 

Malcolm took photos and a short video of the suspect while the police were questioning him. Those photos have turned out to be valuable in the ongoing investigation, which had been stymied due to the lack of surveillance cameras on the Promenade, detectives said.

An NYPD spokesperson told the Eagle that police responded to the 911 call of an assault in progress at 2:50 p.m. on Aug. 1, on the Promenade near the intersection of Columbia Heights and Orange Street in the 84th Precinct. 

The suspect used a boxcutter to slash the victim multiple times on his right hand, according to the police, who determined that he had fled northbound towards Old Fulton Street. EMS transported the victim to NYU Cobble Hill on Atlantic Avenue in stable condition. 

The suspect made anti-LGBTQIA+ remarks before the assault, the victim told cops. The Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating and is asking for the public’s help.

Threats had been the topic of social media 

Before the boxcutter attack, the suspect’s threats had been the subject of conversations…