A 23-year-old father who police say pulled a knife on another man and threatened to kill him in front of his family on board a subway train after the latter criticized him for striking his own son broke down in tears before a judge on Wednesday.
Edgar Rodriguez, of Roosevelt Island, was arrested on Tuesday on charges of endangering the welfare of a child, menacing and criminal possession of a weapon.
During his arraignment on Wednesday, Rodriguez, who boasted in a now-viral cellphone video that he was 'tough,' appeared dejected and had tears rolling down his face as his lawyer addressed the judge.
Rodriguez was ordered held on $2,000 bail and barred from having any contact with his son.
The suspect, who appeared slightly different than in the cellphone video from the subway, having apparently gotten a haircut and a shave, made no statements to the press.
Rodriguez’s arrest took place nearly three weeks after the altercation on board a northbound E train, but just one day after the NYPD released footage showing the suspect threatening the victim.
The incident took place at around 3.30pm on June 24 on board a northbound E train after the victim confronted the suspect about how he was treating his own child.
The train was pulling into West 4th Street station when the suspect, described only as a black man in his 20s, reportedly hit his crying son on the arm.
A fellow straphanger, a 45-year-old man traveling with his wife and their four-year-old daughter to get ice cream, told the younger dad, 'You shouldn’t do that.'
The Good Samaritan's well-meaning comment prompted the suspect to unleash a foul-mouthed tirade at him.
The portion of the recording released by the NYPD does not show the slap but starts with the suspect yelling at the other rider, ‘I'm tough by myself, bro.'
‘Why are you hitting your son?’ the older dad asks him, to which the suspect replies: ‘Cause he's my son and I can do that.’
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