Police have charged 41-year-old Kari Bazemore in the brazen knife attack of a 24-year-old woman in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood.
A career criminal has been accused of slashing a woman who was walking to work Wednesday morning in New York City, police say.
Kari Bazemore, 41, was arrested Wednesday night and charged in the assault of 24-year-old Amanda Morris in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, the New York Daily News reports.
Morris, of Brooklyn, was hospitalized with injuries to her face, but survived the assault. She posted publicly on Facebook about the terrifying knife attack, which was caught on surveillance video, hoping to raise awareness about being aware of your surroundings.
“Today was a difficult day that I never thought I would have to go through,” Morris wrote. “I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and put in an unfortunate situation, but I would like to do what I can now to raise awareness. I was attacked by a stranger on my way to work early this morning. It was unprovoked and I did not have any association with this man prior to the incident, we have never seen each other before.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Suspect Is Seen on Surveillance Video Slashing Morris & Then Running Away, Police Say
Surveillance video shows the man, who police say is Kari Bazemore, running up to Amanda Morris as she walks down the street in Manhattan at about 5:50 a.m. Wednesday. After the man cuts Morris across the face, he runs away. The attack occurred on 23rd Street near Seventh Avenue.
Morris said in her Facebook post that police believe the weapon was either a razor blade or a box cutter.
After she was slashed, Morris grabs her face. She then stumbled into the Malibu Diner to get help, CBS New York reports.
“She was bleeding a lot. She was crying. She walked in and she said that somebody slashed her in the face,” diner employee Alex Ramirez told the news station. “She said that she was walking by, going to her job, and then a person came out from out of nowhere.”
Morris was taken to Bellevue Hospital.
2. Bazemore’s Rap Sheet Dates Back to the 1990s & Includes More Than 30 Arrests
Bazemore has a lengthy criminal record that dates back to the 1990s and includes at least 32 arrests in New York, the Daily News reports.
Bazemore, of the Bronx, has been charged in this case with felony assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
He was arrested after a man walking near St. Patrick’s Cathedral recognized him from surveillance footage he saw on TV, police said. He called 911 and followed the suspect until officers arrived to arrest him at about 6 p.m.
.@NYPDMTN cops arrest Kari Bazemore, 41 of the Bronx. He’s charged with felony assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
His last arrest was on December 30, when police said he randomly punched a woman on East 8th Street. He was also arrested in 2013 for forcible touching in Manhattan and in February 2015 for grand larceny, according to the Daily News.
3. Morris Says She Had a ‘Bad Feeling’ About Her Attacker
Amanda Morris’ post about the assault. (Facebook)
Morris said in her Facebook post that she “did have a bad feeling about” the suspect “as soon as I saw him.” She said “his walk was irregular and he appeared under the influence by his body language and stance.”
Morris had advice for her friends and others reading the post.
“Always, always trust your gut instincts. Even in a safer neighborhood such as Chelsea you should always stay alert and aware of your surroundings,” Morris wrote. “Had I crossed the street this could have been avoided; never feel that you have to stay in an uncomfortable situation out of politeness/fear/etc.”
4. She Needed 7 Stitches to Close Her Cuts & Is Taking Time Off Work to Heal, But Will Be OK
Morris was slashed from below her nose across her lips. (Facebook)
Morris said she needed seven stitches to close her cuts, NBC New York reports. She is otherwise OK.
She told the news station she plans to take some time off from her job at Whole Foods in Chelsea to recuperate.
“I thought that my nose was broken and I was freaking out,” Morris told the news station. “It felt like being hit in the face with a baseball.”
5. Police Don’t Know If Bazemore Is a Suspect in Other Recent Knife Attacks
Morris needed seven stitches to close her cuts. (Facebook)
Police have not said if Bazemore is a suspect in any other recent knife attacks in New York City, according to the Daily News.
A police spokesman told the newspaper, “we are looking into prior slashings to see if there’s any connection.”
The newspaper says it is the third random slashing in the past three weeks. On December 16, a CHinese exchange student was cut while walking to school in Queens by a man dressed in a surgical mask, hoodie and surgical gloves. A 48-year-old man was attacked that same day in Brooklyn by a stranger.
