Authorities in New York confirmed witness reports that a panhandler stabbed a man in the neck this week after the victim refused the suspect’s request for a dollar.

The suspect was not named in initial reports, but witnesses told local reporters that he was a panhandler who was a common sight in the neighborhood. He was known locally as “Omar,” according to the New York Post.
Eyewitnesses said they saw him walk up to the victim near the intersection of New Lots Avenue and Mother Gaston Boulevard in Brooklyn at around 8 a.m. on Friday.

The other man reportedly responded by telling the panhandler to “get out of my face.”

Authorities echoed witness Mattrell Merritt-Coles’ account that the suspect asked the man for a dollar.

The witness described seeing Omar produce a “steak knife” during the altercation that ensued.

“He didn’t give him a dollar,” the witness said. “They posted up like they was about to fight. Omar just stabbed him. [The victim] threw his coffee at Omar. Omar started running. [He] was on the ground, bleeding.”

Police officers nearby responded to the scene and called for an ambulance, ultimately opting to transport the bloody victim to an area hospital in their own vehicle.

“The ambulance responded when it was all over with — probably 20 minutes later,” Merritt-Coles said. “That’s why they put him in the car, when they saw the ambulance wasn’t coming.”

[Featured image: Pixabay]