A Bronx man was sentenced Friday to seven years behind bars for slashing a smoker outside a Westchester County mall who refused to share his cigarette, prosecutors said.
Edwin Hernandez, 44, flew into a rage after he “repeatedly” asked a stranger outside the Galleria mall in White Plains to share his cigarette on the morning of Aug. 18, 2019, Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah said in a statement.
After the man refused, Hernandez cut him at the base of his neck with an undisclosed sharp object that left him with a 5-inch laceration, Rocah said.
The slasher strolled away as the bloody victim stumbled into the mall for help, ending up with 29 stitches after he was sent to White Plains Hospital, according to the statement.
Hernandez, who was also sentenced to five years post-release supervision, pleaded guilty in May to a felony assault charge in Westchester County Court in front of Judge Robert Prisco.