NY police question person of interest in deadly subway knife attacks

NYPD commissioner Dermot Shea responded, announcing that 500 additional police officers would be deployed throughout the city's subway system.

A police union also used calls for an increased surge in officers to take a jab at City Council, which is pushing a criminal justice reform package aimed at decreasing NYPD's footprint.

Rigoberto Lopez is charged with one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, and two counts of second-degree attempted murder, the New York Police Department said on Twitter.

A person of interest had reportedly been taken into custody at West 186th Street and Audubon Avenue in Washington Heights Saturday night for questioning, NY Daily News reported.

In October 2019, NY police arrested a 24-year-old man accused of using a metal pipe to beat four fellow homeless people to death as they slept in the city's Chinatown district.

An unidentified man was pronounced dead on the scene after suffering stab wounds to the neck and torso.

Two hours later, a 44-year-old woman was found stabbed to death in a subway vehicle in upper Manhattan.

Deputy Chief Brian McGee said officers on patrol in the northern Manhattan neighborhood where three of the four stabbings occurred spotted Lopez, who fit the description of the suspect being sought in the attacks, at 6:15 p.m. Saturday.

The knife-wielding suspect was wanted for a gruesome series of attacks along the A train line this past week that left two homeless people dead and two others injured. "There's no doubt they want to see more police".

"These are big bills". He underwent surgery at a nearby hospital and was in stable condition. "It builds on numerous calls for reform that happened a year ago after the murder of George Floyd".

Investigators said it's unclear whether the stabbings were connected and stressed the investigation is preliminary.