Add The New York Post on Google Two of the elderly victims who were viciously slashed at Grand Central Station by a machete-wielding maniac who called himself “Lucifer” are blaming the city for their injuries because they claim cops were nowhere to be found during the attacks.
Leila Sumulong, 70, and Jose Fermin, 84, are two of the three people who were attacked by Anthony Griffin at the 42nd Street-Grand Central subway station April 11, before the 44-year-old madman was shot dead by cops.
Griffin’s violent rampage started after he got off the 7 Train and moved to the 4/5/6 train platform, where Sumulong was sliced across her back and Fermin across his head, leaving them both with PTSD and terrified of ever riding the subway again, according to court papers.
A 65-year-old man was also left with severe lacerations across his head and a skull fracture. All three slashings happened within a minute, according to police.
“This is a classic case of lack of security at a major station in the city of New York,” attorney Joseph Napoli, who represents Fermin and Sumulong, told The Post.
“How did the police officers assigned to this station with all the equipment they have not notice ‘Lucifer’ walking around the platform with a machete?”
Sumulong and Fermin are asking a Manhattan Supreme Court judge for permission to file a late notice of claim against the city – the first step in pursuing a lawsuit — after missing the 90-day deadline.
“Despite the open and obvious nature of the attack, [Sumulong and Fermin] were forced to search for NYPD officers on the platform and only found officers once they left the platform and went up the stairs to the general concourse area,” the petition alleges.
Griffin attacked the unsuspecting victims at 9:39 a.m., according to police.
At 9:40 a.m., cops ordered Griffin to drop his roughly 17-inch machete over two dozen times, harrowing body camera footage released in May shows.
Refusing to drop the weapon, he screamed “Shoot me, please!” before running off.
Griffin then eerily yelled “I am Lucifer” twice before advancing toward one of the officers, who then fired two shots, leaving the crazed perp flailing his legs while lying face down on the ground, the footage shows.
The city and its agencies are responsible for the horrific attacks because the assailant wasn’t immediately stopped and cops failed to keep the subway platforms safe, the proposed notice of claim argues.
The victims plan to sue the city, the NYPD, and the MTA among others.
An NYPD spokesperson referred The Post to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch’s comments at the time:
“Our officers were confronted with an armed individual who had already injured multiple people and was continuing to pose a threat. They gave clear commands, attempted to de-escalate, and when that threat did not stop, they took decisive action to stop it and protect New Yorkers on one of the busiest train platforms in the city. Incidents like this show the reality of this work.
“Officers step into situations where the risks are immediate and the stakes are high. They make decisions in tight spaces, in real time, with lives around them.”
City Hall and the MTA did not return requests for comment. Fermin, Sumulong and an attorney for the city declined to comment.
“At this time, their focus is on their recovery, and they are not providing interviews, comments, or statements regarding the matter,” their law firm, Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, said in a statement.
