Editor’s Note: Grizzly subway fight is latest blow to MTA

A grizzly fight on a subway train pulling into the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station in Brooklyn Thursday night left a man shot in the head with his own gun. It was just the latest in a string of violent subway attacks, even though crime in the system remains at historic lows. However, perception tells a different story, and the headlines scream each time a subway rider or MTA worker is attacked.

In the latest incident, a 36-year-old man got into a verbal dispute with a 32-year-old male straphanger, which led to a physical fight, according to police. The elder of the two then pulled out a gun, which was then turned on him by the younger man. A video taken by a witness shows horrified subway riders, including some with babies, screaming as they watched the melee. The attacker was left hospitalized in critical condition, while the man who shot him was not charged after the Brooklyn district attorney’s office found he acted in self defense.

So far, the MTA has not found a solution to the continued violence. Neither has Gov. Kathy Hochul, whose decision to send in National Guard troops into the subways was viewed more as a political move than a strong deterrent to crime. Mayor Eric Adams after a St. Patrick’s Day flag raising in Bowling Green Friday was asked about the subway brawl. “These random acts of violence send the wrong message,” he said, adding the sole solution to addressing the problem to date was “to continue to be vigilant about keeping ourselves safe.” That doesn’t leave subway riders very assured.