A 34-year-old man, Tayquon Young, was brutally attacked with a machete while walking his dog in the Bronx, New York City, on Friday morning. Young, who lost four of his fingers, said he was attacked after his dog, Chanel, tried to play with another dog that was not on a leash.
According to Young, the dog’s owner threatened to cut off Chanel’s head, which made Young feel threatened, and then pulled out a 2-foot-long machete from his coat. Young tried to grab the blade, but was unsuccessful, resulting in most of his fingers being severed.
Young told the New York Post that people were recording the incident instead of helping him, saying “They was just watching, recording it on their phones to post on their websites. People wasn’t helping me. I had to tell them to call 911.”
The attacker fled the scene, and Young was rushed to the hospital, where doctors were able to reattach three of his missing fingers. He is recovering and is numb from the pain, but said he is in shock and constantly relives the traumatic event.
Young’s family is concerned about his future, as he works as a maintenance worker for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and is worried about the impact the injury may have on his ability to perform his job.
The New York City Police Department is investigating the incident, with no arrests made so far, and the suspect described as a man between 40 to 50 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, wearing a tan bucket hat, gray hooded sweatshirt, green vest, and tan boots.