CHELSEA, Manhattan (PIX11) – Two men squared off for a fistfight that turned into a fatal stabbing in the middle of the street in Chelsea, Manhattan during the height of the Friday morning rush hour, police said.
Security guard Joe Davis works across the street.
“They were in the middle of the street. What brought the attention, was everyone was shooting with their cellphones. I turned, to walk in this direction, and that’s when I heard everybody go, everybody reacts, and when I turned back, he was bleeding out of his chest. ‘He’ is the one with no shirt on. With the white cap on,” said Davis.
It’s still unclear what or who started the fight. But police say seconds later, the 36-year-old unidentified man with no shirt and white cap was on the ground with stab wounds to his torso at the intersection of Seventh Avenue and West 30th Street.
The man was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where police say he died less than an hour later.
“This kind of activity has almost become the norm. I see it every day. Just look around? It’s disgusting,” said Davis.
Police immediately took the 34-year-old suspect – dressed in all black – into custody.
Davis’ colleague, Gil Rodriguez, said the suspect is homeless and a familiar face on the block.
“No, I have never seen him aggressive or in trouble before. I know that some people on the block had been helping him out. Because about three years ago he was living in a tent on this block,” said Rodriguez.
Witnesses said police were able to respond to the man so quickly because they were already around the corner, responding to a separate incident connected to an after-hours club in the area.
