Steve Buscemi puncher attacked another person minutes earlier: DA
- Buscemi was treated for an eye injury but otherwise OK
- A suspect was arrested three days after the attack
- The attacks occurred in Manhattan’s Gramercy and Kips Bay
Actor Steve Buscemi attends the premiere of “The Dead Don’t Die” at the Museum of Modern Art, June 10, 2019, in New York. Buscemi was punched in the face by a random attacker on a New York City street, Wednesday, May 8, 2024, according to police and his publicist. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
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NEW YORK (NewsNation) — The man charged with assaulting actor Steve Buscemi attacked another individual within ten minutes, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Prosecutors say 50-year-old Clifton Williams’ high-profile attacks in Gramercy and Kips Bay were unprovoked. Williams, who officials said is unhoused, was arrested on May 17 and held on bail.
“No person should fear for their safety when walking through Manhattan and those who threaten or harm pedestrians will be held accountable,” Bragg said in a statement Tuesday.
Police have said the 66-year-old actor — known for his roles in “Boardwalk Empire” and “Fargo,” among other performances — was walking in Manhattan on May 8 when a stranger punched him in the face. Police arrested a man Friday in connection with the assault, three days after having released a photo of the suspect.
Buscemi’s publisher has confirmed the attack and said the actor was treated at a hospital with injuries to his eye, but was otherwise okay.
In March, Buscemi’s “Boardwalk Empire” co-star Michael Stuhlbarg was attacked, by a different stranger. The person allegedly hit him in the back of the neck with a rock in Manhattan’s Central Park.
The Associated Press and NewsNation affiliate WPIX in New York contributed to this report.
