“Took 35 Seconds” – Tobacco shop almost beaten to death on the subway

It could have struck any passenger of the Vienna U3 at noon on January 4, 2023 between the stations Stephansplatz and Herrengasse. However, the victim was a 62-year-old tobacconist who was driving home from work, unsuspectingly looking for a seat on public transport – next to the wrong seat neighbor. Because he asked the 21-year-old not to sit with his legs apart, he preceded him to the hospital.

Tobacco dealer taken to court
Witnesses report a “massive and brutal” explosion of violence, of “forceful and targeted” punches and kicks against the tobacconist. After the first blow to the face, he fell unconscious to the ground and made no defensive movements, a doctor on the witness stand at the Vienna Regional Court recalled. She witnessed the incident on the subway. And yet the young man did not let go of the victim. Instead, he held on to the railings, gained momentum and punched the 62-year-old several times in the face.

An attack that is visually not much left, if you compare the man who is now a victim in court as a witness, with the one who is seriously injured in photos and leans on the subway door with a completely demolished face. “Physically I’m fine,” the man says calmly. He can’t remember the ‘attack’ – as he calls it. Only the trauma would have remained: “I take the subway almost every day. The journey takes 35 seconds. That happened in those seconds. When there are a lot of people on the subway, I feel a deep sense of unease.”

According to the indictment, “unreasonable force” is attempted murder
The suspect does not look at his victim, but only stares at the ground as he sits on the dock with his legs apart. The Public Prosecutor charges him with attempted murder because of the assault. Finally, the tobacconist suffered life-threatening injuries: his nose, collarbone and sternum were broken. But that’s far from all of the “completely groundless violence” the 22-year-old used in December 2022 and January 2023. There are three more victims…

He punched a man as he got off the bus. “He just looked at my girlfriend. On your ass”, the Viennese wants to justify. Witnesses cannot confirm this. He hit another man because he wouldn’t give him a cigarette. His latest victim, the boss of his ex-girlfriend, is said to have interfered with his private life. “We have four cases of completely senseless violence here. It is incomprehensible to a normal person how you can lose your cool like that.” – Lawyer Johannes Maximilian Fouchs locates the behavior in his client’s drug addiction.

The same goes for the 21-year-old himself. The fights started with the use of drugs: ‘I was never violent before that.’ To which judge Andreas Hautz immediately had to answer: ‘It’s not quite like that. You’ve already had a trial with me for violent crimes. You also have two previous convictions.” Miscarriages of justice, he was always innocent.

“Have principles in life”
In the trial of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm in several cases, he confessed. But not about the attempted murder: “One thing I know for sure: I didn’t want to kill him. I’m not that kind of person. I have principles in my life that I strictly adhere to,” the Viennese confessed that he had deliberately caused serious bodily harm to the tobacconist.

If convicted in line with the charges, the 21-year-old faces up to 20 years in prison — he is still a young adult. In addition, the Public Prosecution Service is applying for housing in a forensic therapeutic center. Because of a combined personality disorder, he is dangerous. A verdict is expected on Wednesday.