Subway commuter knocks man unconscious after he fell asleep on him
Ben Thompson
Featured Image Credit: Reddit/Closed_Aperture
Commuting can get prickly at the best of times.
You're trying to avoid eye contact with others, hoping you're on time for work and attempting to drown out those teenagers who are loudly playing music.
Some passengers on a New York subway had a particularly eventful ride, even by the standards of public transport.
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It all started with one man falling asleep on another man's shoulder.
Rather than brush it off as a honest mistake, the other man got riled up.
With the argument escalating, the 'offended' party elbowed the sleepy man in the face.
This caused a brawl with other train riders which was caught on camera.
The bust up took place at 5.30am on the northbound train as it went through Queens, New York.
Video shows the attacker yelling in English and Spanish, as he berated his fellow passenger for falling asleep on him.
The attacker shouted: "I speak your f**king dialect and I know who the f**k you are.
"F**k you! Go to sleep someplace... [inaudible]."
The increasingly angry man can be seen shoving his hand in his victim's face as his fury escalates, before he slams his elbow into the man's face three times.
This causes the victim's friend, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, to spring into action and begin pummelling his pal's attacker.
Other commuters flee the scene as the two have a punch up, all while the victim sits dazed in his seat.
According to police, the fight didn't last for long as the victim and his friend soon got off the subway.
After disembarking, they went and reported the attack to police.
The victim refused medical attention and his friend did not require any.
Although the attacker has not been brought to justice yet, an open complaint has been lodged against him.
When footage of the fight circulated online, it drew a lot of comments from shocked viewers.
One person wrote: "When in public, especially in enclosed places with no easy escape route, I always assume I'm surrounded by psychopaths."
Another remarked: "Hopefully that calls for some jail time. What a d**k."
"What the f**k, dude needs to chill the f**k out. Some people just get sleepy while rocking gently while moving in a warm place. My goodness," another commented.
Someone else said: "If someone fell asleep on my shoulder, I would go with the flow."
And one person spoke for many when he said: "Two words. Anger management."
A spokesperson for the New York Police Department told UNILAD: "It was reported to police that on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at approximately 0530 hours, the 27-year-old male victim was engaged in a verbal dispute with an unknown individual while aboard a northbound F train approaching the Forest Hills - 71 Avenue subway station, within the confines of the 112 Precinct, Transit District 20.
"The individual then struck the victim in the face multiple times with his elbow, causing the victim to lose consciousness.
"A companion who was with the victim then confronted the individual, and a brief physical altercation ensued between the two of them.
"The victim and his companion exited the train at the Sutphin Boulevard - Archer Avenue station. The victim refused medical attention upon reporting the incident to police.
"The individual had fled to parts unknown. No arrests have been made at this time. The investigation remains ongoing."