Homeless Man Slashes Stranger In Times Square, Police Say

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A homeless man is facing charges for slashing a man in Times Square after unleashing a slew of racial slurs, an NYPD spokesperson said.

Nelson Galindo, 33, was charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with a Sunday night slashing in the Midtown tourist hotspot, police said.

Galindo approached two men walking in Times Square around 11:30 p.m. Sunday night and shoved one of the men, an NYPD spokeswoman said. After the bump, one of the men confronted Galindo, which set him off on a hateful tirade, police said.

The homeless man started shouting and called the men "n-----" repeatedly, police said. The men eventually started to walk away from Galindo, but only got a few steps away before Galindo came up from behind and slashed one of the men in the face, police said.

The man who was slashed turned around and fought Galindo off, chasing him as he fled, police said. Galindo was arrested by NYPD officers stationed in Times Square as he was running away from the scene of the slashing, an NYPD spokesperson said.

The slashing victim, identified as 42-year-old El Sayed Shalaby, told the Daily News that his training as an air marshal may have saved his life. Shalaby, originally from Egypt, said that Galindo held the knife like "a real professional.”"

“Why did he do this to me?” Shalaby told the Daily News. “I felt like it’s insane. I never do anything bad to anybody. Why this happened to me? I’m a big guy. What if he get at, like, a skinny guy, a weak guy?"

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