A Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after hitting the head of two New York City subway riders with a hammer.
In a report by Pix 11, Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson said that the mugger, identified as 30-year-old Anthony Coward, was sentenced last Monday, February 8. The attacks took place in May 2014 in the Rockaway Avenue station in Bedford-Stuyvesant in New York City.
Accordingly, the victims were ambushed by the suspect from behind and were hit in the head with a hammer. Coward reportedly attacked them while they were purchasing fare cards then stole $58 from one victim and $140 from another. One of the two victims was continually hit by the mugger even after the target fell to the ground.
One of the victims attacked has been identified as Richianand Brijanand, CBS reported. Accordingly, Brijanand was fortunate enough that the blows to his head did not result to anything serious. As for the second victim, the same thing took place but there has been no statement issued. It then remains unclear how the second victim's welfare was affected after the hammer attack.
The suspect has pleaded guilty to the two counts of first-degree robbery last January 25.
There are no details yet when the 12-year sentence of Coward will begin.
Attacks in subways are already common in New York. Just recently, a Brooklyn subway rider was also assaulted by a black man. Police officials are treating it as a hate crime due to the fact that the victim was white and that the suspect allegedly told him "Cracka, you don't belong here." Cracka is a derogatory term for white people.
The Hate Crimes Task Force of NYPD is investigating the incident. Accordingly, the suspect, who is believed to be 40, approached the victim from behing and punched him in the face. The fiancee of the victim was reportedly also hurt as she was elbowed in the face by the suspect.
Nonetheless, no arrests have been made yet.
