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QUEENS WEEKLY, DEC. 30, 2018
Crime plagues borough in 2018
High school slashing, day care stabbing, animal hoarding among top capers in Queens
Police officers walk outside Cardozo High School following a slashing incident in December. Photo by Mark Hallum
A Jackson Heights woman faces two years in jail after she was
convicted of animal cruelty for failing to provide adequate care
for 67 animals, like this one. Photo by Ellis Kaplan
BY BILL PARRY
The borough was
shocked by three separate
crimes in 2018 —
among others — one of
which happened earlier
this month.
A 15-year-old boy was
in custody on assault
and weapons possession
charges for slashing a fellow
student at Benjamin
Cardozo High School in
Bayside Dec. 11, causing
a 2 1/2 hour lockdown of
the campus that alarmed
students, parents and
staff alike.
Law enforcement
sources said that the attack
occurred at about 8:48
a.m., when the 15-year-old
suspect confronted the 14-
year-old male victim inside
of the high school at
57-00 223rd St.
The perpetrator engaged
in a verbal dispute
with the victim, authorities
said, before slashing
him in the head with an
“unknown sharp weapon.”
The student was taken
to a nearby hospital to
be treated for non-lifethreatening
injuries. The
school promptly went on
lockdown as police investigated
the assault.
A Flushing woman was
indicted following an unprovoked
knife attack of
three newborns and two
adults at a Flushing daycare
center in the early
morning hours Sept. 21.
The defendant, Yufen
Wang, 52, of Cherry Avenue
in Flushing, was
indicted Nov. 2 with four
counts of second-degree
attempted murder, four
counts of first-degree assault,
one count of seconddegree
assault, and one
count of fourth-degree
criminal possession of a
weapon.
Wang, who worked
as a caregiver, allegedly
stabbed a fellow caregiver
seven times in the
leg, face, and chest as
she was feeding an infant
at around 3 a.m. in the
kitchen of a three-story
residence located at 43-67
161st St.
Wang also stabbed the
infant who the 63-year-old
woman was feeding at the
time, before proceeding to
harm others in the house,
according to Brown.
Meng Xu, 31, a father
to one of the children in
the center, woke up to the
sounds of Wang slashing
and stabbing two baby
girls.
In his efforts to try and
stop the knife-wielding
woman, Xu was stabbed
in the leg and bitten on
the wrist, according to
Queens District Attorney
Richard Brown.
A 22-day-old girl injured
during the melee
suffered lacerations to
her face, chest and ear.
A 33-day-old infant girl
sustained injuries to her
abdomen and back.
The youngest of the
victims, just 13 days old,
suffered knife wounds to
her abdomen, face and
chest, Brown said.
If convicted, Wang
faces between five and 25
years in prison.
Previously convicted
of animal cruelty and
hoarding, a Jackson
Heights woman found
herself in jail once again,
this time for assaulting a
probation officer visiting
her home — and again
keeping numerous pets
in squalor.
Elizabeth Grant, 50,
was convicted in March
of this year on 108 counts
of animal cruelty and
ordered to serve three
years’ probation; she was
also prohibited from owning
any pets for 10 years.
Law enforcement officials
had found dozens of
neglected cats and dogs
in her 82nd Street home
back in 2016.
The probation officer
wound up seeking treatment
at a local hospital
for substantial pain.
Grant was arraigned
on charges including
attempted assault of a
peace or police officer; attempted
assault as a hate
crime; assault; attempted
assault; 16 counts of failure
to provide proper food
and drink to an impounded
animal; 16 counts of
criminal contempt; and
16 counts of overdriving,
torturing and injuring
animals.
If convicted of all
charges, she faces up to
seven years behind bars.
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@
cnglocal.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4538.
/cnglocal.com