A teenager reportedly panhandling in a Greenwich Village restaurant slashed the face of a waiter Wednesday night after he had been asked to leave. The attack took place at Silver Spurs diner on LaGuardia Place at approximately 8 p.m.

According to the Daily News, the suspect had been asking patrons for money when management ejected him. Police told the tabloid that he had been "pestering customers to give him money for a basketball team." The suspect reportedly returned to the premises minutes later and slashed a 25-year-old waiter's face with a blade.



The Silver Spurs employee was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition. NBC reports that his wounds required 120 stitches.

"It was really, really bad," another worker at Silver Spurs told the Post. Another witness told ABC "We were just sitting inside eating, all of a sudden I saw cops coming from everywhere someone was screaming, people were screaming.

An NYPD spokesperson confirmed that no arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. The suspect is described as a 15 to 17-year-old male dressed in jeans and a gray hooded sweatshirt.

The attack comes less than a week after a woman was slashed in the face while she was mugged on Holland Avenue in the Bronx.

UPDATE: The police released an image of the suspect (above), adding that in addition to wearing dark jeans and a grey hooded sweatshirt, he was last seen wearing a green bubble jacket and black sneakers.

Images of three others—a male and two females—who were seen with him were also released.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

