CIVIC CENTER — A man was slashed across his face while leaving the Chambers Street subway station in Lower Manhattan early Friday morning, the NYPD said.
The victim was leaving the station at Vesey Street about 4:30 a.m. when another man approached him from behind and said, "Give me the money," police officials said.
When the victim said he didn’t have any cash, the suspect slashed him on the right side of his face, the NYPD said.
The suspect fled and had not yet been arrested as of Friday afternoon, police said.
The victim refused medical attention at the scene, NYPD officials said. NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton described the injury as a "light wound" as an unrelated press conference Friday.
He added that the victim did not get a good look at the suspect.
Bratton and Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced “Operation Cutting Edge” in response to an increase in slashings this year.
The operation will classify slashing and stabbings as felony assaults and better analyze data about each crime to find and address any patterns.
For example, most slashings have seem to happen late nights on weekends, the mayor said during a radio interview on WCBS 880 Friday morning.
"We are already starting to see some results," de Blasio said.
The NYPD has also added more patrols of subway stations and trains to combat violent crimes in the transit system.
