Jermain Rigueur, a 27-year-old Woodhull Hospital greeter, has been arrested and charged for a Queens stabbing spree involving five unprovoked attacks.
Who is Jermain Rigueur?
In a series of senseless and unprovoked attacks, Jermain Rigueur, a 27-year-old greeter at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn, has been apprehended and charged in connection with five separate stabbings in Queens, New York City. The suspect, identified as Rigueur, faces a slew of charges, including three counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault, one count of attempted assault, and criminal possession of a weapon.
The string of violent incidents began on January 8 when Rigueur stabbed a 61-year-old man in the lower back, reportedly laughing in the victim’s face immediately afterward. The attacks continued with a 34-year-old woman stabbed while walking home from work, followed by three more victims on Wednesday morning. These assaults, described as manic stabbings, prompted an intense manhunt, leading to Rigueur’s arrest on Wednesday evening.
Police Commissioner Edward Caban labeled the assaults as “senseless, unprovoked attacks” during a press briefing. The victims, ranging from a 61-year-old grandfather to a 36-year-old man involved in a bus altercation, were unrelated, and their injuries were fortunately not life-threatening.
Rigueur’s arrest followed increased police presence in the subway system and the 113th Precinct in Queens. Surveillance footage captured the suspect wielding a hunting knife moments after one of the attacks, providing crucial evidence for law enforcement. Authorities are also investigating whether Rigueur is linked to a separate stabbing incident on a Brooklyn subway platform.
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The first victim, a 61-year-old man, initially thought he had been punched until he felt blood dripping down his pants. Rigueur, described as wearing a green jacket, black hoodie, and either white Converse or black and white Adidas sneakers, exhibited a disturbing pattern of grinning at his victims after the attacks.
The investigation is ongoing as law enforcement works to piece together the motive behind these seemingly random and brutal assaults.