Man charged with assaulting strangers in Cohoes

A man is accused of assaulting multiple strangers in Cohoes.

Thomas Spears is facing several charges. Police say he attacked a woman, threw a trash can at a car, and then ended the night by stabbing someone

Police were first made aware of Spears at 3:15 on Monday. Officers were called to Columbia Gardens Apartments, where a woman said Spears randomly attacked her. She told police Spears approached her aggressively, squeezed her head and pressed his fingers into her eyes.

Police arrested Spears shortly after. He was taken to Cohoes City Court and then released.

Police were then called to the area of Columbia and Remsen Street around 9:55 p.m., where someone reported damage to their vehicle after a man threw a garbage can full of trash at their car. Then a second driver also reported a man threw a rock at his.

Police did not know at the time it was allegedly Spears, but later identified him as the suspect when just an hour later at 10:55 p.m., they got a call from the Stewart’s Shops at 480 Columbia Street that someone had been stabbed.

Witnesses detail Spears walking up to the victim, putting him in a chokehold and then stabbing him in the neck with a screwdriver.

All these attacks were unprovoked, Cohoes Police Chief Todd Waldin said.

Spears is currently being held at the Albany County Correctional Facility with no bail. His next court date is June 15, 2023.