The police arrested an ex-con with a history of stabbing-while-biking in the weekend stabbing of a Queens woman walking in Long Island City. Police say Eli Granger stabbed a woman in the chest while riding on his bike. A tip to Crimestoppers led the police to Granger's home at a Greenpoint "flophouse."
Back in 1994, Granger attacked three men in similar fashion--plunging a knife as he rode on his bicycle--and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. One of his 1993 victims, Kevin Hall, told the News, "I remember being in the hospital, stabbed in the chest, and the police must have been afraid that I might die because when they caught him, they brought him into the hospital for me to identify him. I remember his face."
And WCBS 2 explains a 1993 incident:
Granger's troubles began in 1993 when he pleaded guilty to riding his bike down a Manhattan sidewalk and punching former New York City Councilman Andrew Eristoff.
Eristoff, who was sponsoring a bill allowing police to seize bikes ridden on city sidewalks, had asked Granger to ride on the street. Granger implied his arrest Tuesday was a police publicity ploy.
A police source said Granger is scary, "This is his compulsion. It's not for money or sex or any typical criminal reason. It's just because he likes to do it." Granger has a history of mental illness and told reporters he was innocent, "It's a high-profile case. I hope you will do a real investigation and find out who really did it."
Surveillance footage showed the attacker waiting for an ambulance to leave before stabbing victim Eduarda Oliva. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said he doubted that Granger knew Oliva.
