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NYC 311 dispatcher Diamond Matthews charged with attempted murder in laundry room stabbing

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Published Dec. 28, 2023, 3:04 p.m. ET

A city employee was hit with attempted murder charges after allegedly stabbing a neighbor during a scuffle in the laundry room of their Harlem building, according to law enforcement sources.

Diamond Matthews, 22, who works in the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation as a 311 dispatcher, was arrested around 9 p.m. Tuesday at the apartment building on Fifth Avenue near East 138th Street, police said.

Matthews allegedly told cops she got into a spat with the 45-year-old victim and called her dad for help, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. 

“I got into an argument with one of the guys doing laundry and I got my dad to come rescue me,” she said, according to the complaint. 

“We started fighting and a knife was pulled out but I couldn’t see who pulled it out,” she allegedly said. “The other guy ended up getting stabbed.”

Matthews was arraigned on attempted murder and assault charges in Manhattan Criminal Court on Wednesday.

The judge set her bail at $15,000 cash or a $10,000 bond, which she posted.

City employee Diamond Matthews was charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a neighbor during a fight in their Harlem apartment building's laundry room.
City employee Diamond Matthews was charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a neighbor during a fight in their Harlem apartment building’s laundry room. Gregory P. Mango
Matthews works for the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation as a 311 dispatcher.
Matthews works for the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation as a 311 dispatcher. Facebook/New York City Office of Technology and Innovation

A woman who spoke from behind the door of her apartment said “No, not interested” when a Post reporter knocked Thursday.

“It got out of hand. It shouldn’t have gotten that far,” a man who lives in the building said.

“I heard the female got into it with a male and she went and got her father and they got into an altercation,” he added. “Everybody is volatile nowadays.”

Another tenant said she heard the dispute as it escalated.

“I heard shouting from in there,” she said. “It was over clothes. Someone was screaming, ‘Don’t touch my clothes, don’t touch my clothes!’

A notice posted at Matthews' apartment building informing residents about the stabbing in the laundry room.
A notice posted at Matthews’ apartment building informing residents about the stabbing in the laundry room.

“They leave their clothes in the machine and go away,” she added. “That is selfish. Other people need to use them too.”

Sources said Matthews has at least one prior arrest, but that case is sealed. 

A sign on the door of the laundry room notifying residents that it will be closed while detectives investigate the crime scene.
A sign on the door of the laundry room notifying residents that it will be closed while detectives investigate the crime scene.

She has been with the OTI for less than a year, assigned to the 311 services.

“The Office of Technology and Innovation is cooperating with law enforcement and the Office of Labor Relations on appropriate next steps in this matter,” a spokesperson for the office said in a statement Thursday.

Matthews is due back in court Jan. 2.

Additional reporting by Craig McCarthy and Steven Vago