Edwin Hernandez, age 44, of the Bronx was sentenced on Friday, Aug. 5 to seven years in state prison and five years post-release supervision for the 2019 event outside the White Plains Galleria Mall, according to Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah.
On Aug.18, 2019, at approximately 10:30 a.m., Hernandez approached the victim, who was a stranger, outside the entrance of the Galleria on Main Street in White Plains and repeatedly asked him to share his cigarette, the DA's Office said.
After the victim declined, Hernandez slashed the base of the victim’s neck with a sharp object and walked away, officials said.
The victim, who was bleeding, walked into the Galleria and was attended to by employees who called the police, the DA's Office said.
The victim was transported to White Plains Hospital, where he received 29 stitches to close the five-inch laceration to his neck, officials said.
The White Plains Police Department arrested Hernandez shortly after the incident on South Lexington Avenue in White Plains.
In May, Hernandez pleaded guilty to assault in Westchester County Court.
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