QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) --- A man is accused of slashing a LIRR rider in the face with a boxcutter after the two fought on a Queens train Monday afternoon, authorities said.
Benneth Ekwegbalu, 32, allegedly cut the man, 27, after trying to keep him from getting on the LIRR train at the Sutphin Boulevard-Archer Avenue stop in Far Rockaway at around 3:45 p.m., according to the NYPD.
The men were caught on video fighting in the aisle and seats on the train when another rider intervened, according to a video posted by @fijiforeignx. The footage shows that the bystander was thrown into the seats while trying to break up the brawl.
"Get off of him,” the bystander said in the video.
Two off-duty NYPD detectives arrested Ekwegbalu when he got off the Locust Manor stop, according to law enforcement sources. The train was delayed by an hour while authorities investigated the scene, officials said.
“Weapons have no place on trains, and we are grateful for the rapid response of NYPD officers who kept passengers safe and arrested the perpetrator," MTA Spokesperson Meghan Keegan said.
Ekwegbalu, a Queens resident, was charged with assault, menacing, criminal possession of a weapon, and harassment, police said.
The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the New York City area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.
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