A man has been arrested in connection with the brutal stabbing of a Kips Bay tailor, police said.
John Franklyn was arrested by police at 11 p.m. Wednesday. The 53-year-old was charged with attempted murder, robbery, assault and criminal possession of a weapon, authorties said.
Police nabbed Franklyn after officers put up fliers and showed surveillance video to local residents in the area, authorities said. Officers found and identified him at a nearby homeless shelter.
Franklyn allegedly stabbed the 78-year-old owner of Apel's Alteration on East 27th Street just after 12:30 p.m. Monday after clashing with the victim inside his shop, police said.
Police say Franklyn stabbed the tailor repeatedly in the chest and demanded money. The shop owner initially resisted but eventually relented and gave him $80 in cash from his own pocket.
Franklyn stabbed the shop owner a few more times before he ran out of the store, police said.
"He had a gash on his face and he was holding himself so I was pretty sure he had a gash down there," said Matthew Moreno, who works next door.
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The victim was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition with stab wounds to the chest, cuts to the face, a fractured skull and a punctured left lung, police said.
Regulars at the victim's store described him as a nice older man who worked alone.
"He works by himself, he likes to work by himself," said Boris Rafailob, who also works next door. "He's a nice gentleman. It's very unfortunate."
