Plea For Brewster Man Accused Of Slashing Taxi Driver

BREWSTER, NY — An illegal immigrant who slashed a taxi driver's neck in Brewster in February has pleaded guilty, Putnam County District Attorney Robert Tendy announced Wednesday.

Manuel Estabon pleaded guilty June 1 to Attempted Assault in the First Degree, a class C felony.

New York State Police from the Brewster barracks were called by a taxi driver just before 3 a.m. a.m. Feb. 11. He said he had been assaulted by a customer with a knife.

Estabon had asked to be taken to La Frontera restaurant in Brewster. While on Route 22, at about 2:45 am, he leaned over from the back seat and began to slash at the cabbie. The victim suffered wounds to the face, neck, and hands. Miraculously, they were non-life threatening injuries and he was treated and released at Putnam Hospital, Tendy said.

Estabon ran away, police said, but was located in a nearby wooded area.

The New York State Police were assisted by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, Village of Brewster Police Department, and the Brewster Southeast Joint Fire District ambulance crew.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 1 to a period of five years state prison and five years post release supervision. The defendant currently has an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold due to his status as an illegal immigrant. He will be deported following his prison sentence, Tendy said.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Melissa Lynch.

SEE: Brewster Man Accused of Knifing Taxi Driver In Lieu Of Payment

PHOTO: Manuel Estabon/ NYSP