NEW YORK — A Queens man was fighting for his life Monday after being stabbed during a fight over a parking spot.
Neighbors said suspect Anthony Thomas uses orange traffic cones to illegally block off a section of the public street in front of his Laurelton home.
When victim Gregory Williams, visiting friends in the neighborhood late Sunday afternoon, dared to move the cones to park his car, Thomas allegedly grabbed a kitchen knife, went outside and confronted him, police said.
Within minutes — even after Williams complied and moved his car — the dispute became heated and ended with the victim sprawled on the ground in a bloody heap with stab wounds to his chest and arm, shocked neighbors said.
Medics rushed Williams 48, from the home on Mentone Avenue near 226th Street to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition about 5 p.m.
Thomas, 58, was arrested and charged with attempted murder and weapon possession. His arraignment was pending in Queens Criminal Court on Monday.
Neighbors said the victim had been drinking and smoking with some people in a small lot across the street from Thomas’ residence.
Neighbor Janie Staley said the victim was waiting for her upstairs neighbor to come home from work when he moved the cones and parked in the space, which was large enough for two cars.
“He started moaning about the parking spot like he always does,” Staley of Thomas. “He doesn’t own the street. He puts like six cones. It used to be three, all of a sudden it’s six.”
Staley said Williams moved his car after Thomas came out to complain.
“He moved the cones back,” she said of Williams but said the victim added a few cross words that set Thomas off.
“He was swinging him like a rag doll by his shirt and as he was swinging him he was stabbing him,” Staley said. “All I heard was this girl screaming.”
She said Thomas stabbed Williams five times.
“I ran outside with towels and my boyfriend called the police,” she said.
A day later, a pile of traffic cones lay in a jumble beside a tree.
Across the street, blood still stained the ground beside a small pile of towels and absorbent pads used by first responders.
A sign draped across the fence says. “In this house we believe: Black lives matter, science is real, love is love, kindness is everything.”
The message went unheeded.
“I couldn’t believe it happened,” Staley said. “In a matter of 15 minutes these two men’s lives changed over a parking spot. Over a parking spot! Now he’s going to jail for attempted murder. How stupid is that?”
