A victim who was previously pummeled by the accused Chinatown killer said the “clearly” mentally ill suspect should’ve been locked up long ago.
“I was watching the news at 5 o’clock, and I seen them taking him out of the apartment and I said, ‘That’s the guy that f–king hit me!’” David Elliot told The Post Monday outside of his Brooklyn apartment.
“He shouldn’t have been out on the streets — hell no.”
Elliot, 63, was socked in the face by murder suspect Assamad Nash, 25, in September at the Grand Street subway station – mere blocks from Christina Yuna Lee’s Chrystie Street apartment where she was slaughtered early Sunday morning.
Elliot, who works at Rutgers University, was swiping in a friend at the station on Sept. 28 when Nash allegedly threatened him for helping out his buddy.
“He said, ‘If you swipe her in, I’m going to punch you’ and I just said, ‘Yeah, OK’ like I wasn’t paying him no attention,” Elliot said.
“[Then] he came out of nowhere and just hit me” in the eye and eyebrow, Elliot recalled.
“I used to box. I had four stitches from that punch. I feel he had something in his hand, like, between his knuckles, because for as many years as I boxed, you don’t get split like that.”
Nash bolted out of the station and onto the street and Elliot gave chase — but gave up and called police when he saw him darting between cars.
Nash was given a desk appearance ticket in Elliot’s case and released on his own recognizance.
Earlier Monday, Nash was charged with murder and burglary in connection with Lee’s slaying after he allegedly followed her into her apartment early Sunday morning and stabbed her to death.
Elliot said he feels terrible for Lee and her family.
“Lock these guys up and keep them there. This guy clearly has a lot of mental issues,” he said.
“We should just make sure he stays in jail.”