Police have charged a suspect with fatally stabbing an unknown man during a violent confrontation in the East Village, Manhattan, caused by an accidental collision, police said Monday.
Identified as Quan Alford, 28, he faces manslaughter and weapons charges following a knife fight Saturday night at E. 10th Street and Avenue C in the East Village.
The victim whose name is Michael Gilligbauer, 31, accidentally collided with Alford at approximately 10:15 p.m., authorities said. The two men, who did not know each other, but began to argue and both drew knives.
“One of them pulled out a knife and then the other guy pulled out his knife,” a police source said. “It was the last step forward.”
As the two lunged at each other, Gilligbauer was stabbed multiple times in the body. Alford was stabbed in the back.
“A guy hit my son and they started fighting, and instead of hitting him with his bare hands, he stabbed him to death,” said Gilligbauer’s distraught mother, who gave her name as Johanna. “My son died on the street.”
Paramedics transported the victim to Mount Sinai Beth Israel, but he could not be saved.
Alford was taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment and was handcuffed, the Daily News reported.
Arraignment for the suspect in Manhattan Criminal Court is pending this Monday. According to the police, this is his first arrest.
Gilligbauer’s mother spoke with a coworker she was riding with when the dispute began.
“His coworker doesn’t understand,” he said. “He said, ‘Mom, it happened so fast!’ She said that when she turned around, Michael was gasping for air, spitting up blood.”
The victim worked at Bike Fix NYC on E. Sixth Street and was on his way to his girlfriend’s house in Harlem when he was killed.
“He was late because there was a customer who wanted to pick up his bike, so they had to finish it,” his mother said. “He was good with his hands. Bicycles, cell phones, electronics, computers, entertainment systems, automobiles. My son was a versatile man, he was never afraid of work ”.
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