Queens Man Pleads Guilty In Random East Village Slashing

EAST VILLAGE, NY — A Queens man pleaded guilty on Tuesday for slashing and seriously injuring two people on two separate occasions, prosecutors said.

Francis Salud, 29, admitted to two unrelated slashings, Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance announced on Tuesday.

In October 2015, Salud argued with an acquaintance outside of Bellevue hospital, during which he used a knife to slash the 30-year-old man across his left arm and shoulder. The man needed more than 70 stitches to heal his wounds, prosecutors said.

Then, in January 2016, Salud randomly approached a stranger walking in the East Village and slashed the 30-year-old across his back and face. Those injuries caused extensive nerve damage, prosecutors said. Salud attacked the man while out on bail after being arrested in the 2015 slashing, according to the New York Daily News. (Want more local news? Subscribe here for free breaking news alerts and updates from Patch.)

"The injuries caused by Francis Salud’s brutal slashings required dozens of stitches and hours of surgery to heal," Vance said in a statement. "In one completely unprovoked attack, a man suffered serious nerve damage to his face, for which he receives ongoing physical therapy. This defendant poses a danger to acquaintances and strangers alike, and now faces significant prison time for his actions."

Salud pleaded guilty to the two top charges initially filed against him. He is expected to be sentenced in July.

Lead image via Shutterstock.