By Gus Saltonstall
Chaos erupted Thursday night on the Upper West Side when a man wielding a knife chased a person wearing a white T-shirt into a busy Japanese restaurant, according to an eyewitness and police.
Shortly after 8 p.m., the man who was fleeing from the man carrying a knife ran into Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ at 620 Amsterdam Avenue, near West 90th Street, police said.
The restaurant staff quickly locked the front door to stop the man with the knife from entering the eatery, but the attacker proceeded to punch the storefront glass multiple times in an attempt to get in, causing more than $1,000 in damage, according to police and an eyewitness.
“At this point, many diners including young families were rushing to the back of the restaurant to avoid the situation,” the eyewitness wrote in an email to the Rag. “Perhaps seeking to protect them, the man under attack left the restaurant and attempted to defend himself in the middle of the street using some sort of metal rod, while the attacker slashed wildly in his direction. The restaurant manager, Vinny, bravely attempted to intervene in the conflict and was very focused throughout on keeping his customers and the man in the white T-shirt safe.”
Police arrived shortly after and arrested the man with the knife, Jose Lopez, 32, according to the NYPD.
Lopez was charged with menacing and criminal possession of a weapon, police added. It is unclear why Lopez was chasing the man in the white T-shirt in the first place, NYPD said.
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Bravo to Vinny! Between him and the Queens folks who caught a child rapist this week, it’s heartening to see courage against criminals.
I was there with my kids and this was very scary. Bravo to the restaurant staff and rapidly-arriving NYPD who prevented the incident from being much worse.
P.S. The address is on Amsterdam Avenue rather than Columbus.
Updated, thanks! Sorry that you and your family had to experience that.
They didn’t question white t-shirt man about what was going on? Just arrested the knife wielder and that’s that? I am sure there is more to the story.
(You might want to edit the photo caption. His other hand’s not in a white T-shirt.)
Thanks. Fixed.
I’m just a caveman but … why not throw an attempted manslaughter rap on black tshirt too? Swinging a knife over an extended period of time is beyond the pale. His lawyer can always look to knock it down, why do the editing for the criminal defendant?
Shouldn’t he be charged with more than just “menacing and criminal possession of a weapon?” How about attempted murder?
Not if you’re prioritizing the health, safety and “future” of dangerous criminals over that of innocent civilians and children, and certainly not if you’re wicked enough to call that “justice”, “reform,” “restorative”, etc. nonsense.
Agreed. And when he violently attempted to enter the restaurant, he was endangering not just his initial target but everyone in the restaurant. So he should be brought up on dozens of charges.
Though I agree with the other poster that I am curious as to why he was chasing his primary target. There is no excuse that could justify what he did, but it would be helpful to know.
People like this are not meant to walk among us. It would require a lot of mental gymnastics to not want to have him removed from society for a while (either to a jail or a mental health facility – I don’t really care). Think about this when you vote, though unfortunately, I think all of our candidates in the current election would be thrilled to hand him a plate of cookies and tell him he is special.
And is DA Bragg going to let Lopez go free?
Yes, and give him keys to the city
WSR: an out take from SEINFELD???
I was disappointed not to read a comment attacking Alvin Bragg, who, along with Gail Brewer, is the usual whipping boy in the comments, but then Old Westsider posted a negative comment about Bragg. Ah, well, we are always in need of a scapegoat to simplify the answer to a complex proble.
I’m still waiting for the one blaming DiBlasio.
Yes we can always count on the WSR comment section for highly nuance discussions of criminal law!
Can you please explain us the complex problem and provide solutions?
In New York, generally speaking, manslaughter is an accident and murder means you meant it. So you can’t attempt manslaughter. For an attempted murder charge here there would need to a very clear danger to the victim’s life, ie probably at least slashing him with the knife a few times. Sounds like the perpetual didn’t get close enough for serious charges
Many lawyers would disagree with you about the need to have slashed him. Just because he missed doesn’t mean he didn’t attempt murder.
The charges will be knocked down. He’ll be back on the street until he seriously injures someone. Bail reform apologists will continue to defend the failed policy.
How many priors does Lopez have?
And how many tries does he get?
Is this a crime anymore in Manhattan?
WSR, it would be appreciated to have a follow-up to this story. Considering how close it came to a man hurting not just the victim but innocent people in a closed-in environment, would be good to know the confirmed details and outcome.
Yes it would be nice to get some follow up on this incident. If the suspect is put in prison do we think the usual commenters who blame everything on Bragg will thoughtfully reconsider if their priors are wrong?
“ It is unclear why Lopez was chasing the man in the white T-shirt in the first place”- often when crimes are committed as by this scary perpetrator Jose Lopez, people ask themselves why. The point is, it doesn’t matter why really, there is NO REASON ever that would justify running after another person with a knife as they’re fleeing and breaking the window of a restaurant terrifying diners including children and causing damage. I’m so sick of these criminals terrorizing us . How long did it take for police to arrive?
Knowing that someone was targeted for this, and that that someone may also not be a good person, makes me feel safer than knowing it was a random attack. That’s why people want to know. I don’t think statistically the majority of attacks are random.
Just another day uptown
This man has been around the neighborhood waving his weapon around before. My husband has called the police on him before, a year and a half ago or so, and he was almost at the exact same location: on Amsterdam and 89th approximately…. So he must already have some type of record…
I will certainly make it my business to order from that Japanese restaurant. Kudos to the owner and the staff for stepping up to the plate so bravely!
First you arrest. Then you find out what’s going on.
Good job by the manager and the police.
I hope Braggs does not release him pronto.
This is exactly why we need more mental health beds in the city. These people need serious ongoing help that only inpatient services can provide
Thank god, he didn’t have a gun!!!!
Amazing that no one ever talks about the lawyers who get the criminals off.