Support NeoGAF

[Dmncnby2k9]

A Queens dad trying to protect fellow straphangers from a deranged man on a Times Square subway platform was hurled onto the tracks by the lunatic and fatally crushed by a train yesterday, cops and witnesses said.

Ki Suk Han, 58, desperately tried to scramble back to the platform as onlookers screamed, shouted and frantically waved their hands and bags in a bid to get the downtown Q train to stop at around 12:30 p.m.

The attacker, who had been menacing others in the station, looms over his victim after pushing him on the tracks.
Post freelance photographer R. Umar Abbasi — who had been waiting on the platform of the 49th Street station — ran toward the train, repeatedly firing off his flash to warn the operator.

“I just started running, running, hoping that the driver could see my flash,” said Abbasi, whose camera captured chilling shots of Suk’s tragic fight for his life.

The train slowed, but a dazed and bruised Han still wound up hopelessly caught between it and the platform as it came to a halt.

A shaken Abbasi said the train “crushed him like a rag doll.”

Dr. Laura Kaplan, a second-year resident at Beth Israel Medical Center who was also on the platform, sprang into action, taking off her coat, grabbing her stethoscope and rushing over to help the dying man.

“People were shouting and yelling when it happened, but then people ran the other way,” said Kaplan, 27.

“I heard what I thought were heart sounds,” she said, but Han never took a breath.

“There was blood coming out his mouth. We couldn’t do CPR. He wasn’t in the right position. and there was just no way to get him out of there.”

Han, who lived with his wife and college-age daughter in Elmhurst, was taken to Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

His attacker was last seen running out of the station’s 47th Street exit — at the north end of Times Square — heading northbound on Seventh Avenue. Cops last night were scouring surveillance video for signs of him.

The killer was described by police as black, 30 to 40 years old, about 5-foot-9, with short dreadlocks. He was wearing a white T-shirt, dark jacket, filthy jeans, black sneakers with a white stripe and a black beanie cap.

The horrific drama unfolded after Han approached the crazed man — who police sources described as a panhandler and witnesses said had been harassing and cursing at straphangers — on the southbound platform and tried to calm him down.

As other riders congregated toward one end of the platform, Han and the man were about 100 feet away from them.

“He went up and tried to calm him down, saying, ‘You’re scaring people,’ ” a law-enforcement source said.

“The emotionally disturbed guy just started screaming and cursing, saying, ‘You don’t know me! You don’t know who I am!’ ”

As the train’s arrival was announced over the loudspeaker, the attacker “just grabbed [Han] and launched him — just threw him — straight onto the tracks,” a witness said.

The killer then grabbed a paper coffee cup he used to collect change — which he’d put down before the assault — and fled.

Abbasi recalled, “Out of the periphery of my eye, I just saw a body flying, flying through the air.

“People started waving their hands, anything they could find. They were shouting to the man in the tracks, “Get out! Get out of there!’ ”

Han barely missed the third rail, cops said, and looked stunned as he sat up in the track bed as the train approached before scrambling to his feet.

At one point, Han stood in the tracks and looked directly at the oncoming train lights.

“The most painful part was I could see him getting closer to the edge. He was getting so close,” Abbasi said. “And people were running toward him and the train.

“As I was running toward the train, the man I believe pushed him ran the other way, and I heard him say, ‘Goddamn motherf--ker.’

“I didn’t think about [the perp] until after. In that moment, I just wanted to warn the train — to try and save a life.”

One witness said Han was dragged 10 to 15 feet.

The train’s operator was treated for shock and brought out of the station in a wheelchair, wearing an oxygen mask.

“He’s traumatized,” a transit source said.

Abbasi said the driver saw his camera flashing but told him he couldn’t stop the train fast enough.

Han’s devastated wife said she and her husband had quarreled before he left the house at around 11 a.m. and headed for Manhattan.

She told cops he’d been drinking, and one witness claimed he was the aggressor on the platform, law-enforcement sources said, adding that authorities found a bottle of vodka on Han afterward.

“We had a fight,” the widow said through tears. “I kept calling him and calling him to see where he was, but he didn’t answer.”

Crazy stuff. my condolences to his family.
Question: Do you guys think the photo is too graphic for front page of newspaper?

 

[Emily Chu]

Wtf took the trains yesterday.....

Stay safe NYC gaf

 

[GoldenEye 007]

It's not even the picture. It's the absolutely disgusting headline/caption of the Post. Holy hell that's terrible.

Crazy story....

 

[Kammie]

Fuck....

If that was me I would have chanced it ducking under it.

And yeah, that headline is disgusting. What poor taste.

 

[EVOL 100%]

Now that's classy. So very fucking classy.

 

[Interfectum]

What a horrible fucking headline. what the fuck

 

[DrForester]

Good thing that photographer got that picture rather than trying to help the guy. I just saw a new bit about this, and the photographer got several photos, some with the train much further away.

 

[Seanspeed]

Thats the worst newspaper front page ever.

 

[Antti]

I'm not usually the person to get offended, but it's pretty outrageous that they used the photo & caption and ran with it. Terrible judgement.

 

[The Technomancer]

...well there's my nightmare for tonight

 

[DarkKyo]

Talk about sensationalist headlines, jesus christ. WTF is wrong with that publication....

 

[DGRE]

Senseless.

 

[hym]

I see News Corp is continuing their crusade of tasteless news coverage.

 

[Dark Octave]

1950s newspaper header.

 

[electroshockwave]

That's in really bad taste. And it really makes me just think of this.

 

[SquiddyCracker]

Good thing that photographer got that picture rather than trying to help the guy. I just saw a new bit about this, and the photographer got several photos, some with the train much further away.

I didn't even think of that, but yeah.
I wonder how that photographer can sleep at night knowing that he did nothing to help a man right in front of him just so he could take pictures of his death.

 

[zomaha]

i was in chicago about a month ago taking the trains and subway (first time in my life) and something like this crossed my mind...

 

[Jarmel]

Guy should have gone to the right, however there probably wasn't enough time.

Also what the fuck at that headline.

 

[fluffydelusions]

WTF, that headline.

 

[Steelrain]

Fuuuuuck.

This is one of my worst nightmares.

NY Post being NY Post. No surprise there.

Hope they find the piece of shit who did this and launch his ass into orbit on the outside of a rocket.

 

[Dmncnby2k9]

Good thing that photographer got that picture rather than trying to help the guy. I just saw a new bit about this, and the photographer got several photos, some with the train much further away.

Photographer said he was trying to use his flash to warn the train driver. Cmon, could have tried harder.

 

[Reiko]

The headline, the people not giving a fuck and taking a picture...

Is right out of the first chapter of:

Damn... Oku was right.

 

[Antiwhippy]

I didn't even think of that, but yeah.
I wonder how that photographer can sleep at night knowing that he did nothing to help a man right in front of him just so he could take pictures of his death.

If you believe the photographer's story he was trying to use the flash on his camera to warn the driver.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

Makes The Sun look classy.

 

[DrForester]

Photographer said he was trying to use his flash to warn the train driver. Cmon, could have tried harder.

I'm trying to find the bit from the Today Show where I saw the other picture and Al Roker pretty much blew that off.

 

[EVOL 100%]

Fuck that fucking newspaper. Seriously, fuck them

Good thing that photographer got that picture rather than trying to help the guy. I just saw a new bit about this, and the photographer got several photos, some with the train much further away.

I didn't even think of that, but yeah.
I wonder how that photographer can sleep at night knowing that he did nothing to help a man right in front of him just so he could take pictures of his death.

Come on guys, read the article.

The attacker, who had been menacing others in the station, looms over his victim after pushing him on the tracks.
Post freelance photographer R. Umar Abbasi — who had been waiting on the platform of the 49th Street station — ran toward the train, repeatedly firing off his flash to warn the operator.

“I just started running, running, hoping that the driver could see my flash,” said Abbasi, whose camera captured chilling shots of Suk’s tragic fight for his life.

The train slowed, but a dazed and bruised Han still wound up hopelessly caught between it and the platform as it came to a halt.

A shaken Abbasi said the train “crushed him like a rag doll.”

edit:nvm

 

[HK-47]

If you believe the photographer's story he was trying to use the flash on his camera to warn the driver.

Well that makes a perfect airtight defense of his actions!

 

[KHarvey16]

The headline is indefensible and there's nothing the photographer could have done.

 

[Dabanton]

How close was the photographer?

And what an evil bastard the guy who threw him on the tracks is

 

[electroshockwave]

Photographer said he was trying to use his flash to warn the train driver. Cmon, could have tried harder.

If you believe the photographer's story he was trying to use the flash on his camera to warn the driver.

Yeah, I don't believe that for a second. Of all things to think of in those moments who considers using their camera flash to warn them? Was he using morse code or something?

 

[maverick40]

this stuff pisses me right off. Classy shit right here, the editors should be fired instantly,scum.

 

[Seanspeed]

Angle of the photo doesn't look like he was trying to aim it at the driver.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

I can believe using the flash to try and warn the driver.

But then you publish them? Just fuck you. Makes you look like a cunt, regardless of your original intentions. Nobody is going to believe you and rightly so.

 

[Dark Octave]

Photographer said he was trying to use his flash to warn the train driver. Cmon, could have tried harder.

I don't believe the story, but what else could he have done?

 

[Gordon Shumway]

Headline is terrible..that must have been a horrific thing to witness. Stop buying that paper, folks.

 

[DrForester]

What else could he have done?

Considering his first photos have the train much further away, he could have dropped his camera and gone to help the guy.

 

[LakeEarth]

If you believe the photographer's story he was trying to use the flash on his camera to warn the driver.

Quick, blind the driver!

 

[Emily Chu]

What else could he have done?

Lend just one hand even and pull him up.........

 

[Reiko]

What else could he have done?

Try to pull the man back up on the platform.

His death and situation was straight out of Gantz.

 

[SteveWD40]

NYP is the worst newspaper, and I live in the UK surrounded by terrible tabloids....

That fucking headline.

Edit: The Post.

 

[Timedog]

Really, NYP?

If some dude threw another dude onto the train tracks I wouldn't have let him leave.

 

[Agkel]

WTF at that headline!!!! Seriously WTF?!?!?!
They only missed adding lol after DOOMED to make it 100% classy!

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

I think it's unfair to try and judge whether or not he could have helped the guy without being in his exact position. The speed of his train, the shock, etc means you can't say for certainty what you would do in his position.

Using the photos is scummy, but attacking the guy for not lending him a hand when you weren't there is scummy too.

 

[Takamura-San]

A co-worker just came to the office.

A friend of him was on the platform when it happened and showed me a graphic photo of the aftermath that the friend sent him.

I almost threw up in my mouth for a moment.

 

[fluffydelusions]

Lend just one hand even and pull him up.........

Do you know how fast these trains come in? I'm not sure the situation but if that train has not yet started to slow WAYYYY back there is no chance of even making it to him...sadly. I'm just wondering how long this guy was in the tracks for. It's inexcusable if no one helped and the train was no where near him. I still cannot believe this headline...ridiculous

 

[KHarvey16]

NYT is the worst newspaper, and I live in the UK surrounded by terrible tabloids....

That fucking headline.

NYT? Um...

The photographer would have had to run all the way to him and then drag him up. I'm sorry guys, I understand you think he needed to help but it wasn't gonna happen. You can't just lift someone out of there like they're nothing.

 

[phosphor112]

Don't worry guys, just doing my part! *camera snap*

NYT? Um...

The photographer would have had to run all the way to him and then drag him up. I'm sorry guys, I understand you think he needed to help but it wasn't gonna happen. You can't just lift someone out of there like they're nothing.

He had time to pull out the camera and get a shot of the train coming in. No excuses allowed here.

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

That is really awful and a garbage newspaper

 

[entremet]

What in the world. Help the dude! Terrible headline by the post and too much crazies in New York honestly.

 

[Menelaus]

Seems like most people are missing the fact that Han was drunk, mad, and functionally impaired. Best not to start fights on train platforms in those situations, I'd think. Nothing the photog could have done, you'd be surprised how fast all this happened in real time.