Queens stabber who laughed after slashing victim faces attempted murder charges
Jermain Rigueur, 27, who stabbed five individuals in random attacks has now been arrested
The suspect in multiple stabbings in Queens, New York City, on January 8 is now facing assault and attempted murder charges. 27-year-old Jermain Rigueur slashed five individuals with a knife in random attacks. Rigueur, who was nabbed by authorities on Wednesday after an intense manhunt, has been charged with three counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault, one count of attempted assault, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Rigueur laughed after stabbing his first victim
A 61-year-old grandfather was Rigueur's first victim who was knifed in the back. The victim initially thought he was punched in the back by a deranged stranger until he felt blood “dripping down his pants.” Recalling the violent attack, the victim, whose identity has not been revealed, said, “I felt the weight but I thought he had punched me hard in my back.”
He further recalled how after the attack, Rigueur grinned at his face. “After he stabbed me he passed, turned to look at me and smiled,” The victim said, per NY Post. Before the attack, the victim tried to run away after he “felt the presence of an individual” walking behind him. However, Rigueur ran towards him and slashed his back at an intersection.
“I just wanted to get out of the way for him to pass and so I moved to the left further to the edge,” the victim told the outlet. At first, the victim was unaware that he had been attacked. He then asked a bystander whether he had seen the man who punched him. “I asked the man on the phone to pull my clothes up. He said, ‘Oh wow, you got a big wound on your back and you are bleeding. I gotta call 911,’” the victim narrated the incident.
Other victims attacked by Rigueur
Following the first attack, Rigueur stabbed his second victim, a 34-year-old woman. Shaneka Anderson was stabbed this week while she was walking home from her job late Tuesday night. She worked with the TSA at LaGuardia Airport.
Three more fell victim to Rigueur's manic stabbings on Wednesday morning. “We have an unidentified individual who is walking around the street randomly stabbing people with a hunting knife,” NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell issued the warning.