NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The suspect who attacked a 29-year-old Asian man with a hammer inside the Union Square subway station while yelling anti-Asian slurs has been indicted on hate crime charges, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Thursday.
Christian Jeffers, 48, is charged with first-degree attempted assault as a hate crime, second-degree assault, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree menacing as a hate crime, second-degree aggravated harassment.
According to the indictment and court statements, at around 9:05 p.m. on March 8, Jeffers bumped into the victim, an Asian man who was with his wife inside the station.
Jeffers said, "You can’t see me? You don’t have eyes?" and stepped on the victim’s foot.
When the victim pushed Jeffers away, Jeffers allegedly struck him on the head with a hammer, lacerating his skin and causing swelling and substantial pain.
When the victim fell to the ground, his wife followed Jeffers, who threatened her with the hammer.
The next day, Jeffers was spotted by an NYPD officer at the 125th Street/Lexington Avenue subway station. After being arrested, Jeffers made racially offensive comments to both a Hispanic NYPD officer and an Asian NYPD Sergeant.
Jeffers — who spent five years in prison for robbery in 2015 and was most recently released on parole in June—has 52 prior arrests, public records show.
"Hate-driven violence and slurs have no place in New York," Bragg said in a statement. "Disturbingly, this alleged hate crime was just one in a wave of recent anti-Asian attacks. I want our AAPI neighbors to know that the Manhattan D.A.’s Office is here for you, and we are committed to your safety."
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