HE’S A VICTIM?
The unhinged homeless man who allegedly slugged beloved actor Steve Buscemi was busted Friday after he tried to file a report saying he was robbed and an NYPD officer recognized him, cops said.
Clifton Williams — who allegedly hit the actor in Manhattan on May 8 — was charged with a felony count of second-degree assault because Buscemi is 66.
He was also charged with third-degree assault for attacking a 22-year-old Asian man 10 minutes before battering Buscemi, NYPD officials said.
He said nothing as he was walked out of the 13th Precinct to be arraigned Friday night. But other homeless men who know him at the Chelsea shelter where he was arrested had a lot to say about how little they liked the crazed brute.
‘Unsavory’
“His attitude towards people in general is unsavory,” said one homeless man named Aziz. “He’s called me a cracker and all types of stuff.”
Another homeless guy at the center said there are plenty of actors who deserve a knuckle sandwich — but not Buscemi.
“[Williams] is an a--hole. Why would you want to hit someone like Steve Buscemi?” said the man, named Paul. “I heard he’s a nice guy. He’s not an a--hole like other actors are.
“I liked him in ‘Grown Ups,’ ” Paul added.
Williams allegedly walked up to Buscemi on a street in Kips Bay at around 5:45 p.m. on May 8 and randomly punched the thespian before casually walking away.
“Steve Buscemi was assaulted in Mid-Town Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city,” a publicist said in a statement Sunday. “He is OK and appreciates everyone’s well wishes, though incredibly sad for everyone that this has happened while also walking the streets of New York.”
The NYPD identified Williams from surveillance footage and started a search for him, lawenforcement sources said.
Cops got a call Friday from the superintendent of a homeless services building in Chelsea, who said Williams had been harassing him over belongings he believed to have been stolen.
When a police officer arrived, the cop asked Williams to fill out a report for his lost property, according to police.
But as he filled out the paperwork claiming he was a crime victim, an officer quickly recognized he was likely one of New York’s most wanted criminals.
‘Is this you?’
The officer showed Williams a wanted poster of the Buscemi assailant and pointedly asked: “Is this you?” Williams then allegedly admitted to police that it was him.
Buscemi is a former FDNY firefighter who famously rushed to the scene of the World Trade
Center on 9/11 to help out his former company, Engine 55, in its time of need.
The “Fargo” star launched his movie career nearly 40 years ago and has a catalog of hit films that include “The Big Lebowski” and “Reservoir Dogs.”
He also had a recurring role in the HBO hit “The Sopranos” and more recently earned acclaim for his portrayal of corrupt Atlantic City pol Enoch “Nucky” Thompson in the HBO series “Boardwalk Empire.”
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