Suspect charged in stabbing attacks in NYC subway system

NEW YORK (NewsNation Now) — A 21-year-old Brooklyn man, dubbed the “subway slasher,” has been arrested in the fatal stabbings of two people on New York City subway trains, police said Sunday.

Rigoberto Lopez was taken into custody Saturday night and was formally arrested and charged on Sunday with one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, and two counts of attempted murder in the second degree, according to the New York Police Department.

One of the victims was discovered dead on a train in Queens late Friday with several stab wounds to his neck and torso, police said. Two hours later, a 44-year-old woman was found stabbed to death in a subway car in upper Manhattan.

Two nonfatal attacks — one involving a 67-year-old man and the other involving a 43-year-old man — also occurred in upper Manhattan. Authorities believe all four victims were homeless.

Police said they believe Lopez may have committed all of the attacks. It wasn’t clear if he had an attorney who could speak for him.

Police leaders said they would deploy an additional 500 officers into the subway system to guard against future assaults. “To the victims, to the victims’ families, we are 100% committed to getting justice … to bring closure to the families of this terrible incident,” NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said Saturday.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement released on Saturday that violence on the subway, or anywhere else in the city, would not be tolerated.

“Safe and reliable transit is critical to our City’s recovery, and we’ll continue to do all we can to keep our subways safe for straphangers across the five boroughs,” de Blasio said.

The Associated Press and NewsNation affiliate WPIX contributed to this report.