Man Charged With Firing Gun in Subway Station to Stop a Mugging
A Queens man who fired two shots in a Manhattan subway station in an effort to stop a homeless man from robbing a woman was charged on Wednesday with weapons counts and other crimes, officials said.
The man, John Rote, was awaiting arraignment Wednesday night on charges that included criminal possession of a firearm, criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment and menacing, officials said. It was not clear whether he had a lawyer.
Mr. Rote, 43, was identified as the suspect in the shooting, which occurred at about 10 p.m. Tuesday at the 49th Street station in Midtown, based on security camera footage, officials said. A still image released by the police before he was arrested showed a beefy man in a T-shirt, shorts and running shoes who was wearing a backpack and carrying a tote bag.
