As the New York Post reports, 62-year-old grandfather Ronald Baptiste was punched and then pushed onto the Bronx subway tracks in what appears to be a so-called “knockout game” attack. Baptiste wept Tuesday while describing the assault and pleading with NYC Mayor Eric Adams to step up and do more to combat similar attacks.
Per Wikipedia, “the ‘knockout game’ is one of the names given in the United States for assaults in which a person (with others acting as accomplices or lookouts) attempts to make an unsuspecting victim lose consciousness with a single sucker punch. The assaults have similarities to the happy slapping trend seen in Europe, in which camera phones are used to record assaults. Other names given to assaults of this type include ‘knockout,’ ‘knockout king,’ ‘point ’em out, knock ’em out,’ and ‘polar-bearing’ or ‘polar-bear hunting’ (allegedly called such when the victim is white and the assailants are not).’
Said Baptiste, “Everybody’s talking the talk, but nobody’s walking the walk, and it’s getting more and more dangerous for innocent people trying to get to and from where they have to go.” Baptiste is an electrician and a grandfather.
“I paid $2.75 to the MTA so a guy could bash me in the head and throw me in the middle of the tracks,” he said.
“I want to be able to walk into the subway system and feel safe.
“You could put a million cops on the subway, but if you don’t clear out the homeless and criminals from the subway, we will never have a safe system. No matter how many homeless shelters you have to build, get them off the subway.
“It’s so embarrassing that people recognize that New York is a crime city,” Baptiste said.
Baptiste was on his way to work on Sunday when 21-year-old Deshaun Smith allegedly came up behind him, hitting him in the head. Smith then reportedly shoved Baptiste onto the tracks before running off.
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Cops found him and charged him with assault Monday. He’s currently being held at Rikers Island on $20,000 cash bail.
The assault at the 149th Street 4-train station is just one in a recent rash of transit attacks.
“Look at how many incidents we’ve had on the trains,” Baptiste said.
“My message to the mayor is to stop talking,” he said. “Actions speak louder than words. He has the resources to put in place to fix the subway system, so let’s do it and make citizens feel safe once again to use the subway.
“Mr. Mayor, what are you doing? You’re talking to the media, you’re talking the talk, but we’re not seeing any improvement. People don’t feel safe in New York.”
Smith claimed to authorities that he punched Baptiste in self-defense, according to court papers — an assertion that his victim scoffed at, as did prosecutors.
“What he did is attempted murder,” Baptiste said. “I could have hit my head and gone into concussion. I could have ended up a veggie. I could have been hit by a train.
“He said he was provoked? That’s not true,” he said. “That’s crazy
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