Washington Square Park is still embroiled in violence and chaos

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Two stab wounds, a chef bleeding from a beating, a guy beaten to steal his mobile phone, and an anti-police graffiti message were all part of another violent and out-of-control night in New York's Village's Washington Square Park.

The recent commotion in this park prompted the authorities to establish a curfew at ten o'clock at night in this typically peaceful spot, despite visitors' refusal to evict it, which will occur once the city begins to lift the pandemic-imposed limitations.

"The perps run this town," one disgusted NYPD source told The New York Post in the wake of the latest madness. "It is scary to walk around New York City streets. It has gotten so bad that daylight doesn’t scare the bad guys."

The chaos at the Washington Square Diner began at 9:45 a.m., when an unhinged man exploded into a dyspeptic rage after being ordered to leave the restaurant on 6th Avenue and West Fourth Street, according to police.

Gregory Conwell, 27, of Red Hook, Brooklyn, reportedly threw a 77-year-old chef through a plate glass window before fleeing to the park, where three heroic employees discovered and held him until officers came, according to workers.

Conwell, who staff claimed was a frequent annoyance who bothered customers and pretended to be one of the servers, went inside the low-key greasy spoon to use the toilet and then began disturbing people, according to staff.

When he was asked to leave, he lost it, the NYPD and diner workers said.

“He started cursing and screaming and yelling and doing whatever he wanted, and then he grabbed the chef and threw him on the window,” manager George Takos told The New York Post.

The 77-year-old chef was allegedly thrown into the glass while attempting to lead Conwell out of the eatery, according to the NYPD.

Three diner employees ran the suspect to the park, where they kept him until police arrived, according to the workers, one of whom said a crack pipe slipped out of the suspect's pocket during the scuffle.

According to staff and police, the wounded cook, who only provided his first name, Constantino, received a gash to the back of his head and was treated for lacerations at Lenox Hill Hospital following the commotion.

During the following altercation in the park, one of the diner workers who followed down the assailant said the man bit his arm.

It's not the first time the diner's menu has included chaos.

“That window has been broken at least five times in the past five years. Same situation. They get upset, and they see the best way to hurt you is to break your windows,” Takos said.

The recurrent violence irritated workers as well.

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Conwell was charged with criminal assault since his victim was above the age of 65, according to an NYPD official. Conwell was also charged with criminal mischief and an extra count of assault at Washington Square Park for biting the dining worker.

The current scenario, according to Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and adjunct lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, reminds him of the city's horrible old days.

“The Washington Square Park situation reminds me a lot of the Tompkins Square Park situation of 1988,” he said. “The city either needs to ignore the situation totally and let the park descend into bedlam or just end it. The choice is theirs. I don’t think it will end without some sort of police action.”

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