One of two female fare beaters was arrested Tuesday in the beat down of an on-duty woman MTA employee at a Brooklyn subway station early this month, cops said.
Ayizhae Thomas, 24 was charged with assault, acting in a manner injurious to a child, criminal possession of a weapon and menacing for the July 1 incident in which she allegedly took part in attacking Marshalee Reid, 51, who was punched and slashed with keys around 1:15 p.m. in the New Lots No. 3 train subway station in East New York, police and the Transport Workers Union said.
“This here is just a senseless crime,” Robert Kelly, TWU Local 100 stations vice president, told ABC7. “This is merely a station agent doing their job, performing customer service, when she was attacked, unprovoked.”
It was unclear what role Thomas allegedly played in the attack. Her arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court was pending Tuesday night.
Reid was assisting an elderly man having problems at a MetroCard vending machine before she wound up confronting Thomas and another fare evader, cops said.
Reid opened the emergency-exit door so the elderly man could pass through. She then noticed one woman hop the turnstile, and confronted her, telling her to come back through the open door and pay her fare. A second woman, though, then asked Reid if she could also come in through the open door. Reid told her she also had to pay the fare, according to TWU.
One of the women then pushed the MTA worker to the floor, where she was repeatedly punched and kicked — and hit multiple times with keys.
EMS transported Reid to Brookdale Hospital, where she was in stable condition, having suffered minor cuts. She also suffered a swollen hand that required X-rays, the TWU said.
Thomas and the second suspect fled on foot after the incident; cops are still searching for the other attacker.
Anyone with information on the suspect’s identity or whereabouts is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
