Man arrested and charged with assault on Steve Buscemi

Nine days after actor Steve Buscemi was punched in the face on a Manhattan street, a man has been charged in the case, New York police said.

Clifton Williams, a 50-year-old homeless man, was arrested Friday and charged with second-degree assault, a felony punishable by up to seven years in prison. A police spokesman said the charge was raised to a felony because of Mr Buscemi’s age.

Mr. Buscemi, 66, was walking on Third Avenue near East 27th Street in the Kips Bay neighborhood when he was attacked by a stranger just before noon on May 8. He was treated at Bellevue Hospital for bleeding, bruising and swelling in his left eye.

Police officers identified Mr. Williams as a suspect on Tuesday after releasing surveillance photos showing him wearing a blue T-shirt, black sweatpants and a baseball cap.

On Friday, police officers responded to an argument between Mr. Williams and another man in the Chelsea neighborhood, about a dozen blocks from where Mr. Buscemi was attacked. There they recognized Mr. Williams and arrested him.

Mr. Williams was also accused of hitting a 22-year-old man about 15 minutes before attacking Mr. Buscemi, a police spokeswoman said. He was charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, in that case.

Mr. Buscemi, a Brooklyn native and former city firefighter, is known for his roles on “Boardwalk Empire,” “Fargo” and “The Sopranos.”

A series of random street robberies has sparked fears that the city is slipping into lawlessness, although recent statistics paint a more nuanced picture.

According to police data, crime in the city fell about 2 percent in April compared to April 2023 – part of a broader decline in violent crime, including a 30 percent drop in murders and 15 percent fewer shootings. But in the first three and a half months of 2024, the number of negligent assaults rose by 7 percent compared to the same period last year.

Michael Stuhlbarg, an actor who appeared with Mr. Buscemi in “Boardwalk Empire,” was hit by a rock while walking in Central Park on March 31. Several female TikTok users, including one with more than a million followers, posted video accounts of being beaten while walking through the city.