The New York City Police Department (NYPD) announced on Saturday the arrest of 27-year-old Sayed Mohassib in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 28-year-old woman in Brooklyn. Katie Suarez was jogging along the Shore Parkway greenway on the evening of October 30 when she was attacked. She later died at a hospital from a stab wound to her neck.
Authorities have charged Mohassib, a Brooklyn resident, with second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence, and criminal possession of a weapon. According to police sources, Mohassib was an employee of the New York City Department of Education (DOE) and had previously served as an NYPD field trainee in the Bronx for one month in 2022. He was seen being escorted from the 62nd Precinct on Saturday afternoon but did not respond to questions.
In a joint statement, City Councilmember Kayla Santosuosso, State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, and Assemblymember-elect Chris McCreight identified Mohassib as a former Marine who they said was discharged on psychiatric grounds. The officials stated he had no prior criminal record but described him as "evidently a mentally disturbed man." The DOE confirmed his employment as a teacher's aide at PS 200 in Brooklyn and announced his immediate suspension.
The arrest also impacts the Brooklyn community and regular users of the Shore Parkway greenway, where the attack occurred. The victim, Katie Suarez, was one of many residents who use the public path for exercise. The scale of the incident led to what authorities described as an intense search by the NYPD across the city. For the residents of Brooklyn, the legal proceedings against a local resident and former city employee will determine the next steps in the justice process following a high-profile homicide in a public recreational space.
The case sets a potential precedent for how the city reviews the employment of individuals with psychiatric discharges from the military or brief tenures in law enforcement. As of Saturday, the specific circumstances leading to the stabbing and the evidence that led police to Mohassib have not been disclosed. The legal process will continue as the NYPD proceeds with its investigation and the Department of Education conducts its internal review of Mohassib’s hiring. A date for his first court appearance was not reported.