Teen bites, slashes NYC hospital workers in unhinged rampage — days being cut loose after purse snatching: cops
An unhinged teen viciously attacked six health care workers during a Staten Island hospital rampage over the weekend — just three days after he was released in Brooklyn court for allegedly snatching a woman’s purse, authorities said.
Devonte Loyce, 19, was being evaluated as an “emotionally disturbed person” at Richmond University Medical Center around 4 a.m. Sunday when he lashed out with a knife at a group of security guards, nurses, emergency room staff and EMTs, cops said.
Loyce is accused of slashing three men — 26, 28 and 51 — on their hands during the violent frenzy, which only ended when he was zapped with a stun gun, police said.
He also punched a 33-year-old man in the face, bit a 57-year-old man on the right forearm and shoved a 21-year-old woman into a door, authorities said.
A responding NYPD cop needed to deploy a Taser to subdue Loyce and end the rampage, cops said.
Loyce — whose address is listed as a men’s shelter in Park Slope — was charged with assault, criminal possession of a weapon, resisting arrest and menacing, authorities said.
All of the injured workers were listed in stable condition, cops said.
Loyce was just arrested Thursday morning for allegedly snatching a woman’s purse — holding $500 — inside a deli on Fourth Avenue near 86th Street in Bay Ridge, police said.
The woman ran after the thief, managed to grab her bag back, called the cops and pointed him out to responding officers, authorities and sources said.
Loyce was arrested and charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, petit larceny and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, according to a criminal complaint.
He was released on his own recognizance during his Brooklyn Criminal Court arraignment several hours later, according to a DA’s Office spokesman.
The Brooklyn theft was not a bail-eligible offense, and Loyce does not have any other prior arrests, the rep said.
Loyce’s violent tear at the Staten Island hospital came as The Post revealed that another man — Edward Johnson, 57 — has repeatedly assaulted female hospital workers in the Bronx.
Johnson — an illegal immigrant believed to be from the Caribbean who was last arrested in January — violated the terms of his supervised release and is on the run, according to authorities.
One of his repeated victims is Colleen Leahy, an emergency room doctor at St. Barnabas Hospital.
“It’s infuriating that he keeps doing this to health care workers — especially women — and then is let go,” Leahy told The Post Sunday. “They had him in custody multiple times, so why is he being let go to attack other people, other health care workers?”
