A career criminal was arrested Sunday after he allegedly slugged a woman in a Brooklyn subway car 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 hit with multiple charges after he allegedly launched an assault on a 39-year-old woman aboard 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 multiple times in the right shoulder and kicked her several times in the stomach, the complaint states.
Following the attack, the maniac set some papers on fire inside the subway car before igniting a blaze in a platform trash can, the complaint states.
The victim told The Post she was on the way to the gym when the brute came out of nowhere and screamed, “Hey, get the f–k out.”
But she and another woman on the train were unsure if he was just joking.
“After a couple times, he said, ‘Get the f–k out of here,’ we thought he was just trying to play around, you know? So we ignored him,” the victim, who wanted to remain anonymous, said.
“And then he started throwing kicks. Yeah, he was kicking me in the belly. He was throwing kicks and punches. Like three kicks, four kicks, and I’m looking at the lady like, Hey, this is serious, you know? He’s not playing.”
At one point, another girl came aboard the train and witnessed the unprovoked assault.
“She got scared and she said, ‘This guy’s possessed,’ you know?” recalled the victim, who credits a heavy jacket she had on from leading to injury.
The suspect was charged with third-degree assault, third-degree attempted assault, two counts of attempted arson and two counts of disorderly conduct – all misdemeanors.
Crosland, who has at least another 25 arrests under his belt, was cut loose during his arraignment in Brooklyn court Monday and given supervised release because none of the charges were bail eligible, sources told The Post.
The victim, of Brighton Beach, said she’ll likely forgo the train at the Stillwell station going forward because of the chance she’ll cross paths with Crosland, who lives in Coney Island.
“There’s a possibility he’s gonna remember me,” said the victim, who moved to the Big Apple two years ago from Oklahoma.
“If he went to prison, it would probably be a good favor for him,” she said, adding that the suspect encouraged straphangers to call the cops and didn’t resist arrest. “I think that he wants to go to jail also.”
Most of Crosland’s prior arrests date back decades and mostly involve drugs, sources said.
His most recent past arrest was in August 2009 for unauthorized use of a vehicle. He was also busted for assault in Brooklyn in 1999, according to sources.