New York, NY- A 41-year-old man has been indicted by a Queens grand jury for attempted murder and assault charges after a brutal and unprovoked attack against a woman who is exiting the subway station at Howard Beach and JFK Airport.
The suspect was identified as Waheed Foster, 41. According to police Foster attacked the victim and threw her to the ground, where he repeatedly kicked and punched her on Tuesday. Police reported that Foster is a homeless man and is now facing attempted murder, assault, and weapons charges for the attack.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Waheed Foster, 41, has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury on attempted murder and assault charges in the brutal and unprovoked attack on a woman exiting the subway at the Howard Beach/JFK Airport station. The defendant allegedly pounced on the victim and threw her to the ground before kicking and punching her repeatedly on Tuesday, September 20, 2022.
District Attorney Katz said, “We have had enough. There are basic rights that New Yorkers should have in this City, and one of them is the right to safety when commuting to work, using the subway to take our children to school, and knowing we can safely come home to our families. In Queens, my Office will not tolerate those who choose to rob us of these freedoms. As alleged, the defendant brutally attacked this victim, was interrupted by a good Samaritan trying to intervene, and then continued the attack relentlessly. In addition to assault in the first degree, my Office has indicted this defendant on attempted murder charges.”
On Tuesday, September 20th at around 5:30 a.m., Foster attacked Elizabeth Gomez, 33, on the head with a hard object as she was exiting the subway station.
“When Ms. Gomes attempted to flee, the defendant can be seen on surveillance video grabbing the victim and throwing her onto the floor, up against an unoccupied toll booth. Once on the ground, the defendant allegedly kicked Ms. Gomes forcefully several times in the face and body,” Katz said.
Video surveillance recovered at the scene of a crime show that a Good Samaritan attempted to intervene but was chased away by Foster. Foster returned to Gomez and continued to beat her, leaving in a pool of her own blood.
Gomez was taken to a local Queens hospital, where she underwent emergency eye surgery to repair a ruptured right globe. As a result of the injuries sustained from the attack, Ms. Gomes currently has lost vision in one eye, according to the District Attorney’s office.