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Man Slashed in Front of Shake Shack Was Trying to Rob Attacker, Police Say

 The Shake Shack at the corner of Fulton and Adams streets.
The Shake Shack at the corner of Fulton and Adams streets.
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DNAinfo/Janet Upadhye

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — An ex-con with a lengthy rap sheet who was slashed in front of a Shake Shack was trying to rob the man who knifed him, authorities said. 

David Lewis, 53, was arrested shortly after being slashed in the arm by Lacey Maxwell, 57, around 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 11 at the corner of Fulton and Adams streets, police said. The two were described by police as either friends or acquaintances.

Maxwell told prosecutors that the two started fighting after Lewis demanded all of Maxwell’s money, court documents show.

The fight turned physical, and Lewis started kicking and punching Maxwell, court documents show.

Maxwell then took out a gravity knife and slashed Lewis’ right forearm, according to police and prosecutors.

Lewis was taken to New York Methodist Hospital in serious but non-life-threatening condition, police said.

Maxwell, who was arrested at the scene, was also carrying crack cocaine and heroin on him, an NYPD spokesman said. 

He was charged with assault, menacing, harassment, criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a weapon, according to court records.

Maxwell was initially held on $15,000 bond but later released on his own recognizance, officials said. He's next scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 24.

“My client was the victim of a robbery,” said Maxwell’s lawyer, Thomas Nixon-Friedheim. “He is looking forward to proving he did not commit any crime.”

Maxwell served time in between August 1993 and December 1994, and again between August 2000 and March 2004, for selling drugs, Department of Corrections records show.

Lewis was charged with attempted grand larceny, attempted assault, attempted petit larceny, menacing and harassment, according to court records. He was released without bond and is next scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 11.

On June 2, he was arrested for taking a woman's cellphone and blocking her from leaving an East New York hotel room until police arrived, records show. In that incident, he was charged with petit larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, unlawful imprisonment and grand larceny, records show. He was released without bail and is due back in court on Dec. 30 for that case.

Lewis has several prior convictions and has served jail time for grand larceny, robbery, selling drugs and attempted robbery, records show.

He did a number of prison stints for various crimes over the past three decades, including serving time from 1985 to 1988 for attempted robbery and from 1989 to 1993 for criminal drug possession, records show. 

He was later convicted of robbery and jailed again from 1995 to 1999, as well as a stint from 2000 to 2003 for grand larceny, records show.  

Lewis' lawyer declined to comment.