By Howard Koplowitz
A 16-year-old Long Island City girl accused of stabbing a resident of the Queensbridge Houses in what her family called self-defense after she feared being raped inside the F train subway station near the housing project on Christmas Eve was being held by authorities Tuesday pending her arraignment, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
Cyan Brown, 16, of 40-13 10th St. in Long Island City, was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Queens Criminal Court on charges of manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon in the stabbing death of Thomas Winston on Christmas Eve, Brown said.
She faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, the DA said.
“I understand that the girl was being attacked by several guys,” said Bishop Mitchell Taylor, an advocate for Queensbridge Houses residents.
Taylor said the girl, Cyan Brown, feared she was going to be raped and pulled out a knife, fatally stabbing Queensbridge resident Thomas Winston, 29, on the F train platform.
Winston was taken to Cornell Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Cyan’s lawyer, Samuel Gregory, said she turned herself in to the 114th Precinct in Astoria Tuesday, the New York Post reported.
A 114th Precinct community affairs officer referred a request for comment to the city Police Department’s public information arm. A police spokeswoman said they had no information that Cyan had turned herself in to the Astoria precinct.
Police responded to the call of a man stabbed at the F train station at 21st Street and 41st Avenue at around 8:43 p.m. Christmas Eve.
Cyan was in hiding the day after the attack at a relative’s house in Brooklyn, according to the New York Post.
“She said she feared for her life and she felt like she was going to be raped, so she panicked,” Brown’s father, Tony Lovitt, told the Post.
“She tried to run away, but another gentleman grabbed her,” said Lovitt, 48. “She was scared to death with seven or eight males following her. Anyone would do the same thing.”
Winston’s cousin, Dyneisha Taylor, 16, said a boy Cyan was with bumped into Winston, which started the altercation, the Post reported.
Cops and witnesses told the paper Cyan and Winston started arguing after Winston came on to her.
Winston and his friends then chased Cyan onto a train at the Queensbridge station and pulled her out of one of the cars, the paper said. She then allegedly whipped out a knife and fatally stabbed Winston, the Post reported.
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 173.
