A panhandler slashed a waiter's face on Wednesday evening at a New York City diner.
There was another shocking slashing in New York City, this time at a Greenwich Village diner.
Read: 30 Years After Knife Attack, Ex-Model Marla Hanson Gives Advice to Slashing Victim
It happened around 8 p.m. on Wednesday night at The Silver Spurs Diner. Cops say a panhandler who was asking customers for money slashed a 25-year-old waiter in the face when he was being escorted out.
The suspect ran away and the waiter was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he got 120 stitches.
The waiter, identified as Bobby, was described by one loyal customer Janet Kalogiannakis as "quiet," "respectful" and "a gentle soul."
She added: "I am sick to my stomach. Physcially ill to think of Bobby this way."
It's the latest in what is being called an epidemic of slashings that are creating headlines and terrorizing the city.
On Thursday, NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said that the slashings are not part of a pattern.
"My sense is these are horrific incidents but in isolation," he said. "Some of the people we are dealing with are these service-resistant street people, [they] have been involved in a number of these incidents. A number of the individuals involved have significant psych issues. A number of others are domestic neighborhood type disputes. They run the gamut."
Earlier this month, the NYPD said they are stepping up patrols on subways by having officers wake sleeping people on the trains, and increasing a presence between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Last week, a 20-year-old woman needed 28 stitches after she was slashed with a box cutter in a Bronx subway station.
A 24-year-old woman who was slashed by a man on her way to work in Chelsea in January.
Read: Woman Slashed By Homeless Man on Her Way to Work: 'I Can't Believe It's Me'
How can you protect yourself from a slashing attack? Security expert Steve Kardian says to first “pay attention to your surroundings.”
He said if you are looking down at your phone, you will not see anyone coming.
Next: if you think someone is acting suspiciously, go with your gut.
“Make brief eye contact, putting [them] on notice,” he advises.
He said to defend yourself against a slasher by ducking your chin down and bringing your hands up to protect yourself.
If you can't run to safety, Kardian advised the best way to fight back is to “grab, drag the arm to ground.”
Watch: Reporter Actually Gets Stabbed on TV While Testing 'Knife-Proof' Vest
