A homeless man attacked five people with scissors in Riverside Park in New York on Tuesday, ABC News reported.
The victims include a one-year-old boy, two men, and two women. They are all expected to survive although one woman was listed in critical condition.
Around 8:00 a.m., witnesses said they heard screaming and a child crying in the park along West 65th Street. Officers arrived immediately and took the man into custody.
The homeless man was identified as Julius Graham, 43, by New York Police Department Commissioner Ray Kelly. Graham is originally from Texas but was currently residing in a Bronx shelter. Kelly said he used a pair of scissors to stab the victims.
According to Kelly, Graham's attack began with a 36-year-old jogger when he stabbed her in the back. He then attacked a 36-year-old man walking his dog and a 32-year-old jogger, stabbing her in the neck.
Graham's final attack was on a 35-year-old man and his one-year-old son, who he was pushing in a stroller. The father was stabbed in the chest as he faced the attacker to shield his son, who was stabbed in the arm.
After police arrested the homeless man, he was taken to Bellevue Hospital for evaluation.
Geoffrey Croft, a spokesman for New York City Park Advocates, referred to the attack as an example of a "troubling trend" of violence in parks across the city, mentioning a recent attack on a mother pushing her child in a stroller by a different homeless man in For Tryon Park.
Additionally, two bicyclists were attacked one week apart along the Hudson River in August near 163rd Street while two people were stabbed south of 60th Street.
An advocacy group has been working to enforce more park security for years, Croft added.
When asked about the park attacks, Kelly said "the amount of incidents of crime in parks is minuscule."
The park was closed following the attack.
