A former New York City police officer who went on to work at an elementary school has been arrested in the shocking murder of a 28-year-old woman attacked while jogging along a Brooklyn waterfront trail. Investigators say the suspect claimed he blacked out and later woke up covered in blood, with no memory of the deadly stabbing.
Sayed Mohassib, 27, was arrested Saturday, November 7, and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the October 30 killing of Katie Suarez, whose death devastated her family and rattled residents of the normally busy Shore Parkway Greenway.
Authorities also charged Mohassib with criminal possession of a weapon and tampering with physical evidence.
The disturbing breakthrough came after detectives reviewed surveillance footage from the surrounding neighborhood and identified a man near the waterfront path around the time Suarez was attacked.
According to police sources cited by the New York Post and NBC New York, investigators eventually tracked Mohassib to his home in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
During questioning, Mohassib allegedly told detectives he had been walking near the Belt Parkway with a knife before experiencing a blackout. He reportedly claimed he later regained awareness covered in blood and still possessing the weapon, but could not remember what had happened.
Investigators believe the knife was subsequently discarded in the trash and may have ended up at a landfill in New Jersey. Detectives were searching for the suspected murder weapon as the investigation continued.
Perhaps most troubling, Mohassib was reportedly working with children at a Brooklyn public elementary school just days after the deadly attack.
Police sources identified him as a paraprofessional at P.S. 200, located only a few blocks from the waterfront trail where Suarez was stabbed.
According to the New York Post, some coworkers noticed Mohassib speaking incoherently and behaving unusually after he returned to work. Their concerns were reportedly brought to the attention of authorities, although those reports did not directly lead to his arrest.
The suspect’s background has also raised serious questions.
Mohassib briefly worked for the NYPD in 2022 before leaving to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps. Police sources said he was subsequently discharged from the Marines over psychological concerns and was unsuccessful in his attempt to return to the police department.
Sources also described previous incidents involving concerning behavior, including a September 2024 episode in which relatives reportedly contacted police after he allegedly threatened them. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
The circumstances of those earlier incidents have not been fully documented publicly, and authorities have not established whether they were connected to the killing.
For Suarez’s family, the arrest follows an agonizing week that began when she failed to arrive at a planned meeting with her parents.
Suarez, a bank employee who loved running, had finished work on October 30 and changed into her athletic clothes before heading out along the waterfront near Bath Beach.
At approximately 7:56 p.m., her father called to ask when she would arrive. She told him she was about half a mile away.
When she failed to appear, her father went looking for her.
Around 8:16 p.m., he discovered his daughter unconscious beneath a tree along the path, suffering from severe stab wounds to her neck.
Suarez was rushed to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, where she remained on life support before dying from her injuries three days later. Her family made arrangements for her organs to be donated.
Her mother, Yasira Suarez, previously described her daughter as a warm, compassionate young woman who always put others first.
“She didn’t deserve this,” her grieving mother said, recalling a daughter who loved life and left a lasting impression on everyone she met.
Suarez had been training for an upcoming November 14 race when she was killed.
Police initially investigated the attack as potentially random, noting that Suarez’s cellphone and jewelry had not been stolen. Detectives have not announced a motive or established whether she knew Mohassib, although the two reportedly attended Brooklyn College during overlapping years.
The suspect’s arrest has stunned residents, particularly after reports emerged that he had returned to working with elementary school students following the killing.
The investigation remains ongoing as detectives examine forensic evidence, continue searching for the weapon and attempt to reconstruct the suspect’s movements.
Mohassib has been charged but has not been convicted. His reported account of blacking out has not been independently established, and prosecutors have not publicly determined what motivated the attack.
For Suarez’s devastated family, the arrest marks a significant development in the search for justice, although it cannot undo the loss of a young woman who was just minutes away from reuniting with her parents when her life was cut short.
