A 2-year-old boy was slugged in the face by a violent panhandler on a Manhattan subway train — just the latest in a recent spike of city transit violence, police and law-enforcement sources said Sunday.
The toddler was sitting on his mother’s lap on a northbound C train at Douglas Boulevard and West 116th Street in Manhattan shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday when a female beggar walked between train-car doors and started asking passengers for money, according to cops and sources.
“Can you please say 6 feet away?” the boy’s mom asked the panhandler, sources told The Post.
The suspect proceeded to step on the mom’s left foot, sources said.
When the mother asked her, “Why did you step on me?” the suspect began throwing punches, hitting the 2-year-old, sources said.
A witness told police she had to pullthe suspect off the mom and kid — who suffered minor visible injuries to his face and ear, sources said.
The attacker, described as in her 40s, fled the train when it reached the station, police said.
The injured child was taken to Mount Sinai-Saint Luke’s Hospital by ambulance for treatment, police sources said. He has since been released, sources said.
The suspect was described as a heavy-set woman with a neck tattoo and buzzcut who was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, washed-out jeans, boots and a white face mask, sources said.
The incident was just one in a slew of troubling recent train crimes, including a horrific random slashing spree on the A line earlier this month that left two people dead and two others wounded.
Read More: 2-year-old punched in face by panhandler on NYC subway: cops
