This year’s New Year’s Eve was a disaster for a 45-year-old New York City subway commuter. While waiting for a train at the 18th Street station, he was thrown onto the tracks and is in critical condition. Police arrested Kamel Hawkins, 23, who was charged with attempted murder and second-degree assault after allegedly shoving a commuter for no apparent reason, according to reports.
As the train approached the platform, Hawkins suddenly pushed the man onto the tracks, after which he disappeared from the surveillance footage.
As ABC News reported, Hawkins was quickly arrested and taken into custody at the 59th Street station, thanks to traffic officers searching for the person seen in the surveillance video. He is charged with attempted murder and grievous assault. Police believe the attack was random because Hawkins reported not knowing the victim and making no comment until he was thrown in front of an oncoming train.
Who is Camel Hawkins?
Hawkins has a history of run-ins with the NYPD. In June 2019, he was charged with assault for allegedly slamming a police officer to the ground on Flushing Street after a confrontation occurred when the officer observed Hawkins acting disorderly. The victim suffered a lower back injury.
“Those who attack police officers in uniform can do far worse to defenseless civilians,” Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association, told the New York Post. “Every time our justice system allows an assault on a police officer, all New Yorkers are put at risk.”
Mayor Eric Adams said at a year-end press conference that the unprovoked attacks “cast a shadow” on New York City’s efforts to control subway crime in 2024 and address the growing problem of unchecked subway crime. He emphasized the need to do so.
New Yorkers should feel relieved.
“We’re working to bring the numbers down, but as we’ve said over and over again, New Yorkers must feel safe in 2022,” Adams told reporters at City Hall. . “People see and feel what they read. So our success has dimmed.”