Last Updated on August 8, 2022
A man accused of stabbing an Asian woman in Times Square with a box cutter had been arrested on violent robbery charges just days before the attack. A Queens judge allowed him to be put back on the streets despite the violent nature of his crime, prosecutors said.
Anthony Evans, 30, was granted a supervised release by Judge Denise Johnson on July 27, despite facing second-degree robbery charges for allegedly punching a grocery store worker. In an additional case, Evans was booked for stealing a case of beer, according to The New York Post.
Evans was arrested July 26 and charged in both cases. He faces charges of second-degree robbery, which is considered a violent felony, as well as petty larceny, over the grocery store incident.
Prosecutors had requested bail be set at $50,000 during his arraignment on July 27, according to a spokesperson for the Queens District Attorney’s Office. Despite the request, Johnson released Evans without setting monetary bail, according to court records.
As for the Sunday attack, prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office cited Evans’ being free on a violent felony as part of their argument for why he should be held on $200,000 bail over the stabbing, which is being investigated as a potential hate crime.
A spokesman for the NYPD said Evans randomly attacked a 59-year-old seamstress who was pulling a rolling cart on Sunday morning. The woman was left with 19 stitches as a result of the unprovoked attack.
A number of similar incidents have taken place across New York City as leftist prosecutors and judges attempt to implement “bail reform” policies. Said policies often result in violent criminals being released back on to the streets just hours after committing crimes.
In May, 48-year-old Daniel Enriquez was gunned down in an “unprovoked attack” while riding NYC’s Q train. The suspect, 25-year-old Andrew Abdullah, had been arrested 19 times dating back to 2015.
In 2018, he pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon and other charges, for which he received a prison sentence in 2019. He was paroled later that year, according to State Department of Corrections records obtained by the New York Times.
He was soon facing new gun charges in January 2020 which are still pending, according to the New York Times. Abdullah was again charged in March 2021 with assault and endangering the welfare of a child. That case is also pending.
Still on the streets, Andrew Abdullah was again arrested this past April and charged with stolen property and unauthorized use of a vehicle. Judge Leigh Cheng ultimately allowed Abdullah to walk on his own recognizance for the grand theft auto charge, leaving him free to carry out the murder.
In June, a Queens man was arrested after stabbing two subway riders in unprovoked attacks. Donny Ubiera, 32, was on the streets after being involved in a knife dispute with police officers just hours before the attack. Despite having 14 prior arrests at the time of the knife incident, he was back on the streets the next morning.
