Man accused of punching actor Steve Buscemi in New York is charged with felony assault

By Nic F. Anderson, CNN

(CNN) — The person accused of punching actor Steve Buscemi and another man in New York last month has been charged with one count of second-degree assault and two counts of third-degree assault, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office says.

The suspect, 50-year-old Clifton Williams, has pleaded not guilty, according to court documents. His defense attorney was not immediately available for comment.

The district attorney’s office did not name the two victims Williams is accused of assaulting, but last month police said Williams is facing charges for assaulting Buscemi, 66, and a 22-year-old in separate incidents, CNN reported. It was among a string of random attacks across New York City where individuals say they were hit in the face out of nowhere while walking the streets.

Williams is accused of punching two people within 10 minutes on May 8.

The suspect first punched a 22-year-old man on Third Avenue and East 15th Street in Gramercy, near the Union Square neighborhood, causing the victim’s face to bruise and swell, the district attorney’s office said in a news release.

Williams then punched a 66-year-old in the face at approximately 11:39 a.m., on East 27th Street and Third Avenue in Kips Bay, a neighborhood near New York’s Flatiron District, while the man was looking at his phone, causing him to fall to the ground, the district attorney’s office said.

The 66-year-old victim’s eye was “bleeding, swollen and bruised,” according to the release. He was treated at a hospital after the attack, authorities said.

The second-degree assault charge is a felony. Under New York law, if a victim is older than 65 years old, and the suspect is more than 10 years younger than the victim, a misdemeanor assault charge is elevated to a felony.

CNN is reaching out to Buscemi’s representatives for comment.

Buscemi’s publicist previously told CNN the actor was “another victim of a random act of violence in the city,” and said Buscemi “appreciates everyone’s well wishes, though incredibly sad for everyone that this has happened to while also walking the streets of NY.”

The actor was born in Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for starring in films such as “Reservoir Dogs” (1992) and “Fargo” (1996), as well as TV series including “Boardwalk Empire” and “30 Rock.”

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