A former New York City police officer and current Department of Education employee has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of 28-year-old jogger Katie Suarez in Brooklyn. Sayed Mohassib, 27, was taken into custody Saturday after detectives developed evidence placing him at the scene of the Oct. 30 attack on the Shore Parkway Greenway.
Suarez was stabbed multiple times in the neck. She was jogging along the waterfront path around 8:15 p.m. on Oct. 30. Her father found her injured along the path after she failed to meet him as planned. She was rushed to the hospital. She succumbed to her injuries three days later.
Joint statement from Council Member @kaymsanto, Assemblyman-elect @chrismccreight, and I on the arrest of the man who stabbed and killed Katie Suarez. pic.twitter.com/rywsD0z1IP
Arrest follows questions about suspect’s past
Mohassib’s past makes his employment at a school with children questionable. Police sources and elected officials say Mohassib was an ex-Marine. He was discharged from the military on psychiatric grounds. He was most recently employed as a substitute school aide at P.S. 200 in Bensonhurst. The school is located just blocks from the crime scene and down the block from the 62nd Precinct stationhouse.
During questioning, Mohassib told detectives he had no memory of the attack. He claimed he woke up covered in blood. He allegedly disposed of the knife in the garbage. The knife was later recovered from a landfill. He was charged with second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence, and criminal possession of a weapon. Mohassib did not answer any questions when police walked him out of the 62nd Precinct Saturday afternoon. He was wearing flip flops and a red jacket.
The Department of Education responded to the arrest with a statement. It said, The safety of our students is our very top priority. We have suspended this individual and will move to terminate employment pending the outcome of the conviction. We are supporting the NYPD in their investigation however is needed,
according to CBS News.
Police see random attack; public asked for video
Police believe the attack was random and unprovoked. In a briefing, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny described the assault. He noted a blood trail where Suarez collapsed after being stabbed. Detectives have not determined a motive.
The investigation prompted an appeal to the public. Police are asking for video footage from drivers. The footage might have captured the attack on the bike path. The path lacks surveillance cameras. License plate readers captured about 1,700 cars passing the area at the time of the attack.
I think it’s a little bit of relief.
I guess relief and hopefully, potentially, some closure for her family,
one person told CBS News. Suarez’s mother had previously made a public plea. She said, you took an angel.
Victim’s last day detailed by police
Katie Suarez was from El Salvador. She graduated from Sunset Park High School in 2016. She started working as a teller for TD Bank in 2021.
The timeline of the events on Oct. 30 is as follows: Suarez left her job at the TD Bank at Caesar’s Bay Shopping Center around 6:30 p.m. She met her mother at a Wendy’s fast-food restaurant to change into her running outfit. At 7:56 p.m., she spoke with her father on a cellphone. She said she was about a half-mile from their planned meeting location and would be there soon.
Police believe Suarez was ambushed and stabbed on the path. She was able to run about 150 feet before collapsing under a tree. The public can also submit tips by visiting the Crime Stoppers website or on X @NYPDTips.
Earlier coverage: Katie Suarez Stabbed in Neck in Brooklyn as NYPD Manhunt Continues
