NEW YORK — A 30-year-old Brooklyn man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for two separate robberies of subway commuters. In each incident, the defendant approached from behind, struck the victim’s head with a hammer as the victim purchased a MetroCard, demanded money and fled the scene.
District Attorney Thompson said, “In order for our city to be a place of law and order, people must be able to enter our subways without fear of being violently attacked. This defendant caused such fear by ambushing subway riders from behind, smashing them over their heads with a hammer and running off with their money. Without question, he now deserves to spend many years locked up in prison due to the extremely violent nature of his attacks.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Anthony Coward, 30, of 159 Hull Street, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today to 12 years in prison and five years’ post-release supervision following a guilty plea on January 25, 2015 to two counts of first-degree robbery, which represent the top counts of the indictment.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, both incidents took place inside the Rockaway Avenue subway station, which serves the A and C subway lines and is located at the corner of Rockaway Avenue and Fulton Street in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
On May 4, 2014, at approximately 11 a.m., Cory Healy was purchasing a MetroCard from a vending machine when he was approached from behind and hit on the side of the head with a hammer by the defendant. The victim fell to the ground and the defendant demanded his property and continued to strike him with the hammer. The defendant then fled with the victim’s wallet, MetroCard, debit card and $58 in cash.
On May 7, 2014, at approximately 9:20 a.m., Brijanand Rishianand was purchasing a MetroCard when he was hit in the side of the head with a hammer by the defendant. The victim, bleeding, gave the defendant $140 and the defendant fled.
Both victims suffered pain, bruising and swelling to the head. The first victim also suffered bruising to the arm, while the second also suffered a concussion.
