6
COURIER LIFE, APRIL 22-28, 2022
Alleged subway shooter Frank James is walked out of the 9th Precinct following his arrest. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
BY BEN BRACHFELD
& ROBERT POZARYCKI
Frank James, the alleged
Brooklyn subway shooter who
attacked N train riders at the
36th Street station in Sunset
Park on April 12, was ordered
held without bail following his
arraignment on federal terrorism
charges.
James, 62, was picked up
Wednesday afternoon in the
East Village following a 30-hour
manhunt. After being brought
to the 9th Precinct, he was
quickly transferred into federal
custody, and walked into the
Brooklyn federal courthouse on
April 14 for his first appearance
in front of a judge, to answer for
one of the worst crimes in the
history of the subway system.
The suspect entered the
courtroom wearing glasses, a
mask, and a greyish-tan jumpsuit,
and stayed silent during the
proceedings, only nodding to answer
questions. He was charged
with committing a “terrorist attack
against a mass transit system,”
for which he could face the
rest of his life in prison.
Federal prosecutors allege
that James detonated smoke grenades
and opened fire on board
a Manhattan-bound N train entering
the 36th Street station in
Sunset Park just before 8:30 a.m.
on April 12. He fired 33 rounds
in all. Ten people were wounded
by the gunfire and more than a
dozen others were injured amid
the panic; none of the injuries,
however, were life-threatening.
James fled the scene, allegedly
disembarking from the
system at the following station,
25th Street, and was on the lam
for more than a day until finally
being captured in Manhattan,
after the NYPD received
a phone tip and James was
spotted by eagle-eyed security
worker Zack Tahhan. Investigators
were hampered by the fact
that surveillance cameras were
not working in either the 36th or
25th Street stations.
Defense lawyers say that
James himself made the call
into the NYPD’s CrimeStoppers;
Police Commissioner Keechant
Sewell on April 13 did not confirm
whether the suspect had
called the cops on himself.
James’ defense attorney, Mia
Eisner-Grynberg of the Federal
Defenders, asked Judge Roanne
Mann that a psych evaluation
be conducted on her client at the
federal prison, and for magnesium
tablets to treat leg cramps.
Both requests were granted.
Judge Mann ordered James
held without bail in federal custody.
In a detention memo, prosecutors
deemed James a “severe
and ongoing danger to the community
and a serious risk of
flight.” Prosecutors argue that
James’ attack was “entirely premeditated,”
noting that he had
donned a disguise as a construction
worker when entering the
subway in southern Brooklyn,
and was carrying with him an
arsenal that included smoke grenades,
a Glock pistol, gasoline,
fireworks, and a hatchet. He got
out of his disguise after leaving
the subway, the government says.
A U-Haul van rented by the
suspect and a temporary residence
in Philadelphia, which
was raided by the FBI, found
even more items of concern, including
a propane tank, highcapacity
magazines, and reams
of ammunition. James also left
behind a trove of YouTube videos
where he went on a number
of bizarre, often-racist rants, at
times criticizing Mayor Eric Adams
and in others making overtures
to commit gun violence.
Following the arraignment,
Eisner-Grynberg called the attack
a “tragedy” but cautioned against
a “rush to judgment.” “We are
all still learning about what happened
on that train,” she said.
Zack Tahhan (left) and his cousin speak about the arrest of Frank James, the
alleged subway shooter who led police on a more-than-24-hour manhunt across
the city following the April 12 attack. Photo by Dean Moses
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
Two cousins in the East Village
happened to be in the right
place at the right time, and
helped the NYPD collar the alleged
Brooklyn subway shooter.
Frank James was taken into
custody at about 2 pm on April 13
near the corner of 1st Avenue and
St. Mark’s Place after Zack Tahhan
and his cousin spotted the
suspect at a nearby McDonald’s
restaurant and called for help.
The cousins recounted the
scene later on Wednesday afternoon
to members of the press
stationed outside the 9th Precinct,
where James was brought
following his arrest.
“When the Police Department
is pulling up on the street, we go
to them and stop them. We say,
‘He’s like, one block away. He’s
over there wearing a cap, carrying
his bag,'” Tahhan said. “And
those officers went to him and
they caught him right away.”
The news about the shooting
on April 12 in Sunset Park,
Brooklyn — in which James allegedly
shot 10 people riding a
Manhattan-bound N train at the
36th Street station — shook the
cousins. They said they had seen
the images of James circulated
in the media and had recognized
the suspect on sight.
“We had seen his pictures,
and I told my mom, I told my
cousin, that we need to catch
this man. We don’t want to be in
more trouble with more people
dying,” he said.
Zack said James was arrested
without further incident, and
didn’t appear to resist the officers
at all.
“They directly recognized
him, they directly approached
him and put the handcuffs on his
back,” Tahhan said. “He didn’t
fight, he didn’t do anything. He
totally surrendered and went
with them.”
The two cousins said the realized
the risk involved in reporting
James to police, but
indicated that they did so carefully
in order to prevent further
harm.
Train terrorism
Meet the man
who helped
catch the alleged
subway shooter
Alleged subway shooter arraigned on terrorism
charges, defense asks for psych evaluation