For the third time, cane in hand, former MTA train operator Myran Pollack walked into a Brooklyn courtroom to recall how his life changed on Oct. 8, 2024.
He has physical pain and PTSD so severe he lets others speak after confronting his attacker.
What You Need To Know
Jonathan Davalos pleaded guilty to repeatedly stabbing veteran MTA train operator Myran Pollack in October 2024
Davalos refused to come to court for the prior sentencing date and appeared via video conference as the judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison
Pollack says he contemplated suicide because the pain is so bad and sees a therapist weekly for PTSD, yet he forgives Davalos
“The assault that was stricken upon him was something from a horror movie,” TWU Local 100 President John Chiarello said. “Eleven stab wounds.”
Jonathan Davalos — who already had a record that included an assault on another transit worker — pleaded guilty to attempted murder in August.
He appeared via video conference after refusing to go to court at an earlier date.
On Monday, Davalos was finally sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The only words from him were a couple “yeses” to the judge. But it meant more painful memories for Pollack.
Pollack recalled clearing the 4 train of passengers at the end of the line at the Utica Avenue station, when he spotted Davalos. He opened the door to let him out. And as he walked by, Pollack described the blank look on his perpetrator’s face as he took out a large kitchen knife and started stabbing him.
He tried to run, saying: “He was chasing me and stabbing me at the same time. I fell and flipped over… then he stabbed me in the stomach. I tried to kick him off, but he grabbed my legs and then stabbed me in my left thigh. He suddenly stopped.”
The NYPD had its guns aimed at Davalos. He was arrested immediately.
Pollock says that if it weren’t for the NYPD, he wouldn’t be in court now.
Despite all of this and the pain that he says he’s been in for the last year, he still forgives Davalos.
“They just took everything from him in one fell swoop for no good reason,” Chiarello said. “And he didn’t want to retire under those circumstances, and now he has to live with that pain every single day.”
Pollack was just weeks away from retirement. He told the court he contemplated suicide because of the pain. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez acknowledges the sentencing won’t change any of those memories.
“The sentence does not repair the harm in this case,” Gonzalez said. “If you attack a member of the MTA of Local 100, this office will do everything in its power to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
In his impact statement, Pollack said he knows time heals all wounds, but “I know it will be a long time before I’m even close to being 100% better.”