Career criminal Michael Crosland arrested for alleged subway attack in New York

metro

From Joe Marino, Amanda Woods And David Propper

A career criminal was arrested Sunday after allegedly beating a woman in a subway car in Brooklyn in a random attack — but was back on the streets the next day thanks to New York’s lax bail laws.

Michael Crosland, 68, was charged with multiple charges after he allegedly carried out an attack on a 39-year-old woman on a Q train at the Stillwell Avenue station around 7:30 a.m., according to police and a criminal complaint.

The suspect allegedly punched the victim in the right shoulder several times and kicked her in the stomach several times, the complaint states.

After the attack, the maniac set fire to some papers in the subway car and then started a fire in a trash can on the platform, the complaint says.

The victim told the Post she was on her way to the gym when the monster appeared out of nowhere and screamed, “Hey, let the shit out.”

But she and another woman on the train weren’t sure if he was joking.

“After a few times he said, ‘Get the fuck out of here,’ we thought he was just messing around, you know? So we ignored him,” said the victim, who wished to remain anonymous.

“And then he started throwing kicks. Yes, he kicked me in the stomach. He threw kicks and punches. Three kicks, four kicks, and I look at the lady and say, ‘Hey, this is serious, you know?’ He’s not playing.”

At some point, another girl came onto the train and witnessed the unprovoked attack.

“She was scared and said, ‘This guy is possessed,’ you know?” recalled the victim, who believes a heavy jacket she was wearing caused her injuries.

The suspect was charged with third-degree assault, attempted third-degree assault, two counts of attempted arson and two counts of disorderly conduct – all misdemeanors.

Crosland, who has at least 25 other arrests under his belt, was released on supervised release during his arraignment in a Brooklyn court on Monday because none of the charges were bailable, sources told The Post.

The Brighton Beach victim said she would likely skip the train at Stillwell station in the future because of the risk of running into Crosland, who lives in Coney Island.

“There’s a chance he remembers me,” said the victim, who moved to the Big Apple from Oklahoma two years ago.

“If he went to prison, it would probably be a good favor for him,” she said, adding that the suspect encouraged perpetrators to call the police and did not resist arrest. “I think he wants to go to prison too.”

Most of Crosland’s previous arrests date back decades and largely revolved around drugs, sources said.

His most recent arrest was in August 2009 for unauthorized use of a vehicle. According to sources, he was arrested in Brooklyn in 1999 for assault.