2NEW YORK, N.Y. – A Manhattan man was sentenced Thursday to 18 years in state prison for two back-to-back assaults that left strangers with severe injuries after unprovoked attacks in a Midtown deli and subway station.

A New York Supreme Court jury convicted Christopher Velarde , 40, in August of robbery and assault charges tied to the violent incidents. Prosecutors said Velarde’s spree began just after 1 a.m. on May 4, 2024, when he entered a deli at 48 West 48th Street and attacked a 44-year-old man. Witnesses told investigators that Velarde threw the victim to the ground, stomped on his head, and then stole his backpack before fleeing.

Minutes later, Velarde was captured on surveillance entering the 49th Street subway station. There, he set upon a 22-year-old waiting for a train, p

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