CLINTON HILL, Brooklyn – A homeless man is in custody on suspicion of slashing across the face a man who startled him out of his sleep inside a Brooklyn subway station, police said.

It happened about 2:50 a.m. Monday at the Classon Avenue G-train station, on the Queens-bound platform.

A homeless man was sleeping on a bench when he was awoken for unknown reasons by a 33-year-old man, police said. The homeless man became angry, took out a box cutter and slashed the victim on his nose.

After cutting the victim, the homeless man – who police identified only as being 54 years old – ran from the station and into the NYPD’s 88th Precinct, where he told officers he was the victim of a robbery. But soon after, the real victim, with his nose bleeding, arrived at the precinct and told officers what happened.

The alleged attacker has been taken into custody. Charges against him are pending.