A man who sources say has been arrested dozens of times in the past is now accused of beating another man to death Tuesday afternoon at the Jay Street-MetroTech subway station in Brooklyn.

The suspect, identified as 25-year-old David Mazariegos, has been charged with murder, robbery and grand larceny in the killing of 64-year-old Nicola Tanzi, of Brooklyn.

Mazariegos was taken into custody Tuesday night at Broadway and 42nd Street in Manhattan. Police said he had four stolen credit cards on him during the arrest, including one that belonged to the victim that he used at a nearby Target. Police sources said he was also in possession of a sword.

Officers were called shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday to the Jay Street-MetroTech station, a busy transit hub in Downtown Brooklyn. The station is located near Brooklyn Borough Hall and services the A, C, F and R subway lines. 

Police said they found the victim unconscious and unresponsive. He was taken to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in critical condition, but was later pronounced dead. 

Law enforcement sources told CBS News New York the assault happened while in transit on the R line. Sources said the victim suffered a fractured skull after he was punched in the head multiple times and then, while on the ground, kicked in the head repeatedly. 

Police sources say the suspect and the victim are not believed to have been previously acquainted, adding the suspect did make statements to police during his confession to the crime claiming he was angered by a "dirty look" the victim gave him.

Suspect has dozens of prior arrests, sources say

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch posted on social media Wednesday morning, calling it a "horrific attack." She said the entire department received alerts on their phones with photos and a description of the suspect, leading to his capture near Times Square.

"This is exactly what we envisioned when we developed this capability 7 years ago — getting dangerous people off the streets by pairing exceptional police work with great tech," Tisch wrote.

According to sources, Mazariegos has nearly three dozen prior arrests. Sources say in June he was charged with assault on a victim older than 65 years old, fare evasion and aggravated harassment. Then in July, he was charged with criminal mischief for damage to property in the Bronx.

He was supposed to be in court Thursday on one of his prior arrests, sources said.

The latest data from the MTA show there has been one murder in the New York City transit system this year. Last year, there were four. NYPD crime stats show transit crime is down about 4% from the same period last year.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers confidential hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via their website.