A 23-year-old woman, Amira Hunter, has been arrested in connection with a brutal bottle attack on a subway performer in New York City. The incident, which was caught on video, occurred on February 13 at the Herald Square station. The victim, Iain S. Forrest, a 29-year-old cellist, was assaulted while performing “Titanium” by Sia.
Hunter, a resident of Brooklyn, was apprehended by the NYPD on Wednesday, 15 days after the incident took place. She has a history of run-ins with the law, with eight prior arrests, including two for assault in 2019. Her most recent arrest prior to this incident was in October for stealing bathing suits worth $2,050 from Bergdorf Goodman.
During the attack, Hunter violently struck Forrest in the head with his own metal water bottle. The assault prompted Forrest to cease his subway performances altogether. However, in a recent social media post, he expressed his readiness to play the cello again. He shared that he had received some free gifts from D’Addario Orchestral, an instrument supply company, and managed to play a bit inside his apartment.
Forrest, a Mount Sinai MD-PhD student, admitted to feeling demoralized and saddened by the incident, stating that he couldn’t bring himself to play music. He had previously announced the indefinite suspension of his subway performances and called on the NYPD to provide better protection for musicians. In response, the MTA expressed its commitment to holding the perpetrator accountable and ensuring the safety of everyone in the transit system.
The assault on Forrest has led him and others to form the Subway Performers Advocacy Group, advocating for improved security measures for musicians. The group aims to address the issue of violence against performers in the New York City subway system.
1 Response
I’m curious to know the author’s thoughts on the safety of public spaces, such as subways, and what measures they believe should be taken to prevent incidents like this from happening in the future. Additionally, do they think there should be stricter penalties for individuals who commit violent acts in public places?