Washington Square Park has become a no-go zone for law-abiding locals after dark - amid a string of overnight raves which have descended into chaotic violence

Nearby residents and visitors to New York's Washington Square Park have told how they now avoid the landmark after dark amid fears of violence, a day after another late night rave descended into chaos.

On Friday night a woman was left bloodied and bruised after being trampled on by terrified crowds trying to flee a man armed with a large knife and a taser.

The man with the knife and taser is alleged to be Jason McDermott, 42, sources told DailyMail.com. McDermott has been arrested at least 10 times between 2010 and 2014, the sources said.

Now locals have told how the park changes after dark, from a calm, relaxing atmosphere during the day to chaos when the sun goes down.

As the raves at the park have escalated, there have been claims of prostitution and public sexual acts, historic pot smoking escalated to hard drugs, and claims of people carrying weapons like baseball bats.

DailyMail.com spoke to park visitors Saturday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the woman - who has not been named by officials - was injured.

The nearby residents, afternoon park attendees and business owners who spoke to DailyMail.com have demanded police step up their enforcement of a midnight curfew and stop motorcyclists zooming through the park.

All said they wouldn't be going to the park tonight, amid fears of further violence.

Nearby residents and visitors to New York's Washington Square Park have told how they now avoid the landmark after dark amid fears of violence, a day after another late night rave descended into chaos.

On Friday night a woman was left bloodied and bruised after being trampled on by terrified crowds trying to flee a man armed with a large knife and a taser.

The man with the knife and taser is alleged to be Jason McDermott, 42, sources told DailyMail.com. McDermott has been arrested at least 10 times between 2010 and 2014, the sources said.

Now locals have told how the park changes after dark, from a calm, relaxing atmosphere during the day to chaos when the sun goes down.

As the raves at the park have escalated, there have been claims of prostitution and public sexual acts, historic pot smoking escalated to hard drugs, and claims of people carrying weapons like baseball bats.

DailyMail.com spoke to park visitors Saturday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the woman - who has not been named by officials - was injured.

The nearby residents, afternoon park attendees and business owners who spoke to DailyMail.com have demanded police step up their enforcement of a midnight curfew and stop motorcyclists zooming through the park.

All said they wouldn't be going to the park tonight, amid fears of further violence. The woman was seen with blood pouring from her face Friday night ad NYPD officers went to her aid in the park +20

The woman was seen with blood pouring from her face Friday night ad NYPD officers went to her aid in the park A man was seen handcuffed and being led away by police following the incident in the historic park; police said they arrested the suspect +20

A man was seen handcuffed and being led away by police following the incident in the historic park; police said they arrested the suspect On Monday, mayor Bill De Blasio downplayed the chaos at Washington Square Park in recent weeks, telling reporters that he believes the situation will resolve itself ¿naturally¿ +20

On Monday, mayor Bill De Blasio downplayed the chaos at Washington Square Park in recent weeks, telling reporters that he believes the situation will resolve itself ‘naturally’

Last week the park's night scene exploded with multiple assaults and slashings. Police held an emergency meeting on Wednesday, which pitted residents against protesting revelers. Hours later, the park was packed again, although tamer than the weekend.

Wednesday and Thursday nights, the equilibrium seemed to inch closer to a pre-pandemic norm, then Friday night's chaos pressed the reset button.

Karen Bartolo, who's now in her late 50s, has a deep reverence for the park's rich history and said she's been performing music in Washington Square Park since she was 15. Every weekend she was here.

They played music, smoked pot and had a good time, she said. They played music until 2am, but there weren't amps and large bass systems that can blast music for blocks.

But what's happening Washington Square now 'is horrible,' she said.

She said: 'At night time this park used to be the place. But now, people are crazy. In the day even. But at nighttime? Forget about it.'

She added: 'In the '60s, we had our problems, but we came together. We need to come together now.'

Bartolo, along with multiple other park goers who spoke to the DailyMail.com Saturday afternoon, talked about an escalating level of hostility between police, revelers and the park's neighbors.

There are too many 'aggressive police,' she said, but the kids 'are out of control' and egging on law enforcement.

'It can't get violent,' Bartolo said, 'otherwise we are a lost cause.'

Tensions have boiled over in recent weeks after violent rowdy late-night events saw stabbings and brawls, and sparked complaints from neighbors. There have also been needles seen in the park, as drug use and sales has run rampant, according to police and residents.

The latest incident unfolded at around 12.40 am Saturday morning when Jason McDermott, 42, began waving a taser in the direction of a group of people who were gathered inside the historic park for another night of late-night partying, the NYPD told DailyMail.com.

Police said McDermott was also in possession of a large knife at the time.

Partygoers, who have descended on the park for nightly raves in recent weeks, were sent into a panic and ran for safety from the suspect.

In the chaos, one 43-year-old woman, who has not been named, was knocked over and trampled by the fleeing crowd.