Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that William Blount, 57, has been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on attempted murder, assault and other charges. The defendant allegedly attacked a woman as she entered the subway – kicking her down the stairs and hammering her in the head with a hard object. The February 24, 2022, attack occurred at the Queens Plaza station in the evening. A second individual has also been indicted for allegedly using the victim’s credit cards a day after the attack.

District Attorney Katz said, “This City relies on New Yorkers being able to take the subways in safety. While the victim walked down the stairs into the subway, the male defendant in this case is accused of pouncing on this defenseless woman – shoving her forward, hitting her repeatedly in the head with a blunt object and then forcibly snatching her purse. This violence must stop. A second defendant is charged with using the victim’s credit card. Both individuals will be held to account for their alleged criminal actions.”

Blount, whose last known address was on William Street in Manhattan, was arraigned today before Queens Supreme Court Justice Toni Cimino on a 15-count indictment. Blount is charged with attempted murder in the first and second degree, assault in the first and second degree, robbery in the first and second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree and criminal possession of stolen property. Defendant Denise Alston, of Keeseville Avenue, in the St. Albans neighborhood of Queens, was also arraigned before Justice Cimino today. Both Blount and Alston are charged in the same indictment with criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth and fifth degree. The defendants were ordered to return to Court on April 11, 2022. Blount faces up to 25 years in prison, if convicted. Alston faces 4 years in prison.

District Attorney Katz said, according to the charges, at approximately 11:30 p.m. on February 24, 2022, a 58-year-old woman entered the Queens Plaza subway station as the defendant approached her from behind. As alleged, Blount kicked the victim down the stairs, struck her on the head multiple times with what appeared to be a hammer, then grabbed the victim’s multi-colored handbag and fled the scene.

The victim was taken to a nearby hospital where she was treated for a skull fracture, an intercranial hemorrhage along with substantial bruising and swelling to her head.

Continuing, according to the charges, police recovered two credit cards in the victim’s name, two department store cards in the victim’s name and her New York City identification card allegedly from defendant Alston’s wallet.

The investigation was conducted by Police Officer Matthew Haggerty of the Queens Transit Robbery Squad of the New York City Police Department.

Assistant District Attorney Nicole Rella, of the Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau, is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Shawn Clark, Bureau Chief, Michael Whitney, Deputy Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel Saunders.