Freed Career Criminal Slashes Worker’s Neck

A career criminal with 31 prior arrests, including attempted murder, nearly killed a hardworking cafe employee in broad daylight Manhattan—exposing how NYC’s broken bail system puts innocent Americans at deadly risk.

Story Highlights

Wagner Louis, 32, with 31 arrests including attempted murder, slashed cafe worker’s neck after being asked to leave
Victim hospitalized in critical condition but stabilized after vicious attack at Midtown Manhattan coffee shop
Louis posted $150,000 bail in 2023 attempted murder case, was free to terrorize more innocent victims
Attack reignites debate over NYC’s dangerous bail reform policies that prioritize criminals over public safety

Career Criminal Strikes Again in Broad Daylight

Wagner Louis, a 32-year-old repeat offender with an astounding 31 prior arrests, viciously attacked a 50-year-old employee at Moka & Co., a Yemeni coffee shop on West 34th Street near Penn Station. On August 20, 2025, just after 3 p.m., Louis was asked to leave the establishment for disorderly behavior. Instead of complying, he slashed the worker’s neck with a metal object before fleeing the scene. The victim was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition but has since stabilized.

Career criminal with 31 prior arrests slashes NYC cafe worker’s neck after ‘acting disorderly’: cops https://t.co/z5oCEwvN8Y

— Trisha Burke (@smartenedup2) August 22, 2025

Police apprehended Louis the same afternoon at 34th Street and Park Avenue. He now faces charges of attempted murder, assault, menacing, and weapons possession. This brazen attack occurred in one of Manhattan’s busiest areas, highlighting the dangerous reality that hardworking Americans face when violent repeat offenders roam free. The incident underscores how NYC’s misguided policies have turned law-abiding citizens into sitting targets for career criminals who exploit a broken system.

Extensive Criminal History Ignored by Liberal Justice System

Louis’s criminal record reads like a blueprint for violent recidivism, featuring attempted murder, unauthorized vehicle use, grand larceny, and criminal possession of stolen property. Most recently arrested on July 24, 2024, for stolen property charges, Louis has consistently demonstrated his contempt for law and order. In November 2023, he shot a man in Brooklyn and was charged with attempted murder, yet posted bail set at $150,000 cash or $300,000 bond—allowing him to walk free and continue his criminal spree.

This pattern reveals the fundamental failure of New York’s bail reform system, which has prioritized criminal rights over public safety. While these reforms ostensibly aimed to reduce pretrial detention for nonviolent offenses, they’ve created loopholes that allow dangerous predators like Louis to terrorize innocent Americans. The fact that a man with 31 arrests, including attempted murder, could freely walk Manhattan streets demonstrates the absolute bankruptcy of progressive criminal justice policies that treat career criminals as victims rather than threats.

Hardworking Americans Pay the Price for Progressive Policies

The attack at Moka & Co. represents more than an isolated incident—it’s a direct consequence of policies that have abandoned common-sense public safety measures in favor of radical ideology. Service industry workers, small business owners, and ordinary citizens now face heightened danger because progressive politicians refuse to acknowledge that some criminals cannot be reformed. This 50-year-old cafe worker was simply doing his job when he became another casualty of NYC’s war on law enforcement and traditional values.

The broader implications extend beyond this single attack, as similar incidents involving repeat offenders have plagued NYC businesses, creating an atmosphere of fear among workers and patrons. Economic impacts include potential business losses due to safety concerns, while social consequences manifest in increased anxiety and demands for action from affected communities. This crisis demands immediate attention from Trump administration officials who understand that protecting law-abiding Americans must take precedence over coddling career criminals who view our justice system as a revolving door.