KIPS BAY — A Queens man slashed another man during a fight in a garden behind Bellevue Hospital that's meant to be a refuge for patients and staff.
Francis Salud, 28, of Flushing, got into a fight with his victim inside the green space at roughly 11 a.m. on Oct. 18, according to a police spokesman.
During the scuffle, Salud pulled out a knife and slashed the man, leaving two deep gashes on his left arm and torso that required 73 stitches, according to the criminal complaint.
Police arrested Salud the next day, and he was charged with first degree assault, according to the complaint.
Salud was released after paying $30,000 bond, and is due back in court on Feb. 2, according to court records. A temporary order of protection was issued against Salud for the victim, the records show.
A lawyer for Salud did not immediately return a request for comment.
This incident is not the garden's first brush with crime.
Last year the garden was attacked by a vandal who beheaded the garden's statues, which were made by patients of the Bellevue's Chemical Dependency Program.
"It's a place our patients and visitors go to find solace and serenity," a spokeswoman for Bellevue Hospital said at the time.
A spokeswoman for the hospital declined to comment on the recent attack, but noted that the garden area is covered by a security camera and Bellevue is cooperating with police in their investigation.
