Man accused of attacking NYC women with bottles: Who is Muslim Brunson?
SoHo attack suspect has history of targeting women
SoHo is one of the nicest and most popular parts of the city and the last place you would expect a crazed attacker to go after women in two separate incidents and assault them with a bottle. But FOX 5 NY’s Lisa Evers has learned that this wasn't his first time targeting women in violent attacks.
NEW YORK CITY - Muslim Brunson, the 46-year-old man accused of attacking two women earlier this week with a bottle in SoHo, has a history of targeting women, police sources say, including two separate incidents in the NYC subway system.
The backstory:
According to the NYPD, on Monday around 3 p.m., Brunson, who is homeless, struck a 29-year-old woman in the back with a bottle while she was walking on Broome Street, toward Wooster. She was not injured and ran away.
A short time later, police say Brunson attacked another woman, who was 25, slashing her with a broken bottle. She was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition.
The NYPD says Brunson was arrested and is facing several charges, including:
- Second-degree attempted murder.
- Second-degree assault.
- Third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Who is Muslim Brunson?
Dig deeper:
According to FOX 5 NY’s Lisa Evers, who attributes police sources, Brunson is a recidivist who mainly goes after female victims.
In October 2023, sources say he shoved a 30-year-old woman into a moving train. She survived. A year earlier, sources say Brunson was arrested for shoving a woman into a heavy metal subway platform pillar.
What they're saying:
"Unfortunately, I just feel like, women especially have to be really on their toes about where they are and their surroundings and just, you know, being very cautious," one woman who spoke with FOX 5 NY said.
2 women assaulted in SoHo broken bottle attack
Two women were attacked, unprovoked, on Monday by a man with a broken bottle, police say. One woman was uninjured, while the other was taken to a hospital for treatment.